Borussia Monchengladbach

Established in 1963, the Bundesliga league is the top-flight soccer tournament which takes place in Germany. The founding members of this were Werder Bremen, Schalke 04, FC Koln, Hertha BSC, Hamburger SV, Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart. Also, they have most recently welcomed RB Leipzig back in 2016. With such a fantastic mix of teams, this league is most definitely one to look out for this season.

With the beginning of the 2018/19 fixtures just around the corner, we wanted to put together this article to explore the scheduling of the games. From who has the best stakes at getting to the final, to how the overall tournament could turn out, this post covers it.

Fixtures and Notable Dates

The beginning of this year’s tournament kicks off on the 24^th August 2018 and is expected to end on the 18^th May 2019. Starting off the fixtures, current Champions Bayern Munich play in their home grounds at Allianz Stadium against Hoffenheim. And the

Last season, the DFB Pokal was easily the most surprising event in German football. In fact, it might have been one of the most surprising events in all of European soccer. Bayern Munich were in the midst of yet another dominant season in the Bundesliga and were widely expected to win yet another German Cup. Had the Bavarians won the DFB Pokal, it would have been their third trophy in a row in the event, and their 18^th overall.

Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, were in the midst of one of their worst seasons ever-a campaign that saw the venerated club drop from second place in the Bundesliga to seventh, and one that pushed the widely respected Jurgen Klopp to resign his post as BVB's manager. In 2013/14, Dortmund had lost to Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal, falling behind 0-2 in extra time. When the two clubs were drawn against one another for a semi-final match, the writing seemed to be on the wall that Dortmund's last shot at redemption in the 2014/15 season was about to

At this point, Bayern Munich have won the DFB Pokal so many times that it seems almost foolish not to bet on the German heavyweights to win the tournament in 2016. The Bavarians have won this event 17 times and finished second thrice. The next most successful football club in the history of the event is Werder Bremen, with six wins and 10 finals appearances. Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, Bayern's toughest opponents in the Bundesliga, have only won the German Cup title three times.

Still, surprises do happen. Last year, Bayern Munich barely made it through the quarterfinals, having to beat Bayer Leverkusen in a penalty shootout after a scoreless 120-minute match. The German champions subsequently lost another penalty shootout to Dortmund in the semifinals, missing out on a chance to win a third consecutive title in the DFB Pokal. Wolfsburg went on to beat Dortmund in the finals and win the cup.

Bayern Munich's Semifinal

It was an exciting weekend for football fans in Germany, as the country's top four soccer clubs did battle in the Bundesliga 2015 week 15. Reigning league champions and perpetual frontrunners Bayern Munich traveled for an away fixture against Borussia Monchengladbach while 2014 2015 runners-up VfL Wolfsburg faced off against this season's revitalized Borussia Dortmund squad.

Bayern Munich Pick Up a Loss

The most fascinating thing about the weekend was that it brought Bayern Munich's incredible undefeated run to a close. The Bavarians have been on fire this season, winning 13 of their first 14 league matches and drawing the other. Their only losses since August were Super Cup defeat against Wolfsburg, a friendly fixture defeat at Jahn Regensburg, and a Champions League loss to Arsenal.

Donning the Bayern Munich

Wolfsburg scored a massive victory, Borussia Dortmund snapped their seven-game winning streak, and Bayern Munich continued to avoid defeats in the 13^th week of the Bundesliga title race 2015/16. The Bavarians are widening their lead over the rest of the table, with Dortmund's loss allowing the defending league champions to move from a five-point advantage to an eight-point lead. With 12 wins and only one draw on their record this season,
Munich already seem like a foregone conclusion to clinch yet another German football championship next spring.

Bayern were in-form in their away fixture against Schalke 04, winning 3-1 to improve both their point total and their goal difference. Even with their star striker, Robert Lewandowski, going scoreless, the Bavarians still racked up three goals, including a last-minute contribution from Thomas Muller. Anyone waiting for the wearers of the Bayern Munich home jersey 2015/16 to show signs of weakness is going to keep waiting,

When the groups were drawn for this year's UEFA Champions League on August 27^th, Group D looked like one of the most "open and shut" of the entire tournament. Between Juventus (last season's runners-up) and Manchester City (so clearly dominating the English Premier League this season), the group's top two teams were easy to identify. What were the chances of either of these top-ranking football clubs bowing out of the UCL before the knockouts? Never mind the fact that Sevilla were coming off two straight Europa League titles, or that Borussia Monchengladbach had just played one of their best seasons ever in the German Bundesliga. In the eyes of most soccer fans and experts alike, Champions League 2015 - 2016 Group D belonged to the Zebras and the Sky Blues.

In 2013 2014, the German Bundesliga season ended with Bayern Munich as the champions, Borussia Dortmund as the runners-up, and Schalke 04 in third place. Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg rounded out the top five. Now, in the wake of the opening week of 2015 - 2016 Bundesliga play, it's as if we've found a time warp back to the 2013 2014 season, for how similar today's standings look like the final rankings from that season.

Indeed, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Schalke 04 are the opening week's top three performing football clubs. Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, are in fifth, while VfL Wolfsburg are just outside the top five, at sixth place. Talk about déjà vu.

Two Returns to the Top

For Bayern Munich, returning to the top of the Bundesliga table is more or less a foregone conclusion at this point. The soccer club has won 25 German championship titles since inception, including six of the past 10 Bundesliga