The 44th edition of the German Bundesliga kicks-off on Friday August 11th when champions Bayern Munich begin their title defense by facing rivals Borussia Dortmund. FilGoal.com offers a look at the prospects for Bundesliga clubs in the 2006-07 season. The clubs are listed according to last season's standings. Bayern Munich: Coach: Felix Magath Bayern Munich will be looking to add a third consecutive Bundesliga title to their trophy cabinet after enjoying a successful stint under German-Puerto Rican coach Felix Magath, who took over as the Bavarian giants' coach after the departure of Otmar Hitzfeld in July 2004. But Bayern's hopes of maintaining their status as German champions suffered a blow after star player and co-captain Michael Ballack opted to join English champions Chelsea. Nevertheless, Bayern can cope next season after signing Cologne striker Lucas Podolski, and with World Cup star Bastian Schweinsteiger at their disposal, they could compensate for the loss of influential Ballack. Bayern have also reinforced their defense after acquiring the services of Hamburg Belgian defender Daniel van Buyten, who will partner Brazilian Lucio in the center of defense while Willy Sagnol and Philipp Lahm will act as fullbacks. Werder Bremen: Coach: Thomas Schaaf Werder Bremen will be looking to improve on their runner-up position from last season and continue their impressive performances and results. They kicked-off the new season in style as they clinched the German League Cup title following a 2-0 win over title rivals Bayern Munich. Bremen were busy in the transfer market this summer and signed Porto striker Hugo Almeida and midfielder Diego, who excelled during the League Cup final; in addition to Inter Milan left back Pierre Wome. Werder's offensive line continues to be their main threat. With 2006 World Cup top-scorer Miroslav Klose as the go to man up front. The return of Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan, who spent last season on loan at Mainz, besides Ivan Klasnic and Aaron Hunt will give Bremen more fire power.
Will Bayern be able to retain the title without Ballack Hamburg SV: Coach: Thomas Doll Hamburg's target will be to maintain last season's good form when they finished third in the Bundesliga and secured a UEFA Champions League place, but why not go further? Their current squad is full of very good players who might not be "galacticos", but have proved their worth over the past season. Hamburg's movement in the transfer window targeted strikers and they managed to capture Kaiserslautern's Boubacar Sanogo and Bayern Munich's Jose Paolo Guerrero. They also strengthened their back line with the signing of Anderlecht's highly-rated defender Vincent Kompany. Schalke 04: Coach: Mirko Slomka Schalke's display and results last season in the Bundesliga did not live up to the fans' expectations after they finished in fourth place, so they will be looking to improve this term. The seven-times German champions reinforced their attack with the signing of Kaiserslautern's prolific striker Halil Altintop and Rangers' Peter Loevenkrands although they already have Kevin Kuranyi, Gerald Asamoah and Soeren Larsen in the front line. Schalke's main target will be mounting a serious challenge to the Bundesliga title. Bayer Leverkusen: Coach: Michael Skibbe A disastrous start for Leverkusen last season saw them grab just one win in their first four league matches. Their local campaign was threatened until the appointment of Michael Skibbe, who s
