Defending champions Bayern Munich open the Bundesliga season Friday against RB Leipzig, entering as favorites despite a shortened preseason after the Club World Cup in the United States.
Having won the league title 12 times in the last 13 years, the Bavarians have spent more than any other club in the close season to bring in Luis Diaz from Liverpool for a reported 70 million euros ($81.60 million) – their third highest transfer ever – as well as Germany internationals Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof to boost the quality of their squad.
However, they also had a shortened break and pre-season preparation, along with fellow Club World Cup competitors Borussia Dortmund, due to the tournament in the United States stretching well into July.
Bayern still earned their first trophy of the season last week, beating German Cup winners VfB Stuttgart 2-1 in the German Supercup on Saturday, despite some players cramping.
"The cramping, with a short pre-season it is normal, especially in a final," Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told a press conference Thursday.
"But we are mentally here. The hunger is here. I don't want to talk about any negative impact of the Club World Cup. We want to take another step to get better. The motivation is not less than last year," he added.
"The bar has to be higher," Kompany said. "As regards the favorites tag, yes, we are the champions so that's ok, but that won't win us the game tomorrow. For me what is important is to have a hunger of a team that has not won anything and wants to win something for the first time."
Bayer Leverkusen are undergoing a full overhaul following the departure of coach Xabi Alonso, who led them to the domestic league and Cup double in 2024, and star player Florian Wirtz, along with half a dozen other key players.
With playmaker Granit Xhaka also gone, new coach Erik ten Haag has his work cut out as he succeeds Alonso on the Leverkusen bench, and is unlikely to instantly mount a serious title challenge. They start their league campaign on Saturday against visiting Hoffenheim.
Bayern's most likely title rivals look to be Dortmund, who travel to St Pauli on Saturday. Coach Niko Kovac, who took over midway through last season, steadied the ship and led them to a Champions League qualifying spot. He has since brought in Jobe Bellingham and Yan Couto from the English leagues.
Hamburg SV will mark their return to top flight after seven years in the second division with a season opener at Borussia Moenchengladbach, having won promotion along with Cologne last season.
