Germany’s top flight returns to action Friday when Bayern Munich travels to Freiburg in an attempt to keep the pressure on new boys RB Leipzig.
[ MORE: Galaxy adds Portugal CM ]
For those who haven’t paid a ton of attention to the Bundesliga this season or need a bit of a refresher after several weeks away, here’s what to monitor over the next several months.
Really Big surprise Leipzig looks to keep title race going
Formed in 2009, RB Leipzig is a lot of German fans’ least favorite club after cash infusions caused a rapid rise into the top flight.
The new club is looking down at most of the haters, however. League leaders for much of the first half, Leipzig is three points shy of league leading Bayern Munich.
Bayern waxed Leipzig 3-0 before the holiday break, and the two sides won’t meet again until May 13. How long can the new boys keep up the show?
Historic relegation candidates
What does USMNT strikers Bobby Wood and Aron Johannsson share besides a national team? Both are on sides that have been in Germany’s top tier longer than the players have been alive.
Wood’s Hamburg has six national titles and hasn’t seen the second tier in 54 years. That’s the longest stretch in the league, two more seasons than Bayern Munich. Hamburg is a currently third-bottom, which would force them into a relegation-promotion playoff against the third-placed team in 2.Bundesliga.
As for Johannsson, his Werder Bremen side is just three points ahead of Hamburg. Bremen has been in the top flight for 36 seasons.
Chasing the Golden Boot
Robert Lewandowski has scored the most goals in two of the past three seasons, with Alexander Meier of Eintracht Frankfurt seizing the honor in 2014-15.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is leading the pack by three goals, but is with Gabon at the Africa Cup of Nations to help open the door for the rest of the bunch.
Koln’s Anthony Modeste is second with 13, while Lewandowski has 12. Two players, Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) and Sandro Wagner (Hoffenheim), have nine.
Can surprise Europe-chasers hold up?
Hertha Berlin was in 2.Bundesliga a few seasons ago, while Eintracht Frankfurt was there a season prior to that. RB Leipzig, as mentioned earlier, wasn’t even a club until 2009.
Eintracht made a Europa League run one year later, but neither was expected to be competing for a spot in Europe this season. As it stands, all three are in the mix.
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Bayern Munich | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 9 | 29 | 7-2-0 | 5-1-1 | 39 |
| RB Leipzig | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 15 | 16 | 6-1-0 | 5-2-2 | 36 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 7-0-1 | 2-3-3 | 30 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 5-3-0 | 3-2-3 | 29 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 28 | 17 | 11 | 4-5-0 | 2-5-0 | 28 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 35 | 19 | 16 | 5-3-0 | 2-3-3 | 27 |
| 1. FC Köln | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 4-4-0 | 2-3-3 | 25 |