Well, almost!
For on Friday night the German top flight will roar into life for the start of another Bundesliga season and what promises to be one of the most exciting in any of Europe’s leading divisions.
Among the many questions, one stands out?
Can anyone really stop Bayern Munich from winning an 11th successive title?
After a decade of dominance, the Bundesliga betting odds do not expect the Bavarians to relinquish their grip on the title and neither does this SBOTOP observer.
Indeed, why should anyone?
Well, for a start they have just sold the best marksman in Europe for the past seven years.
With the departure of prolific Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who netted an incredible 238 goals in 253 appearances for Bayern, there could well be a feeling that the champions are weaker.
And in one sense they are.
But this is a team which, after failing in Europe last term, now seems stronger all round.
Out has gone Lewandowski, in has come 22 year-old Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt, a double acquisition from Ajax in right-back Noussair Mazraoui and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, French under-17 captain Mathys Tel and Sadio Mane, the latter of whom marked his competitive debut with a goal and fine all round performance in Saturday’s German Super Cup Final.
Even this opening weekend alone, there’s enough potential to have fans salivating.
It all starts on Friday night when Bayern travel to the German club which did secure European success last term.
Oliver Glasner’s Europa League winners have added world champion Mario Götze to their ranks this summer and should offer a stern test. Let’s remember, Eintracht Frankfurt have actually won two of their last four meetings with Bayern.
Then there’s perennial runners-up in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund, now minus the services of Erling Braut Halland.
Sebastien Haller has come in as the man to fill Haaland’s boots and does so on the back of a blistering 34 goals in 42 games for Ajax last season, including 11 in eight Champions League outings, with two coming against Dortmund.
However, his unfortunate health news last week means he will not be playing for a while.
New coach Edin Terzic, who replaces Marco Rose, has also brought in centre backs Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck and exciting forward talent Karim Adeyemi so it could be an exciting time for Dortmund and possibly the start of a rebuild.
Yet it is hard to see them sustaining a title challenge and they could even struggle to stay ahead in the race for second.
Their opponents this Saturday are Bayer Leverkusen, third last time out, and who sealed a memorable 5-2 victory at the Signal Iduna Park last season.
In fact, their two meetings last term produced a total of 14 goals so don’t put any money on this being a goalless encounter.
They have strengthened with Czech forward Adam Hlozek arriving to join his compatriot Patrik Schick – the Bundesliga’s second highest scorer with 24 goals in 2021/22 – and they should possess one of the division’s most potent attacks.
With Moussa Diaby, 17 goals and 14 assists in all competitions last season, still on board and the captivating Florian Wirtz making solid progress in his comeback from injury, Leverkusen’s prospects are full of promise.
What else to look for this weekend?
A derby in the capital with Hertha Berlin facing the challenge of neighbours Union and a chance to gain some revenge.
The Old Lady survived a play-off fright against Hamburg before clinging to Bundesliga survival last time out, but what will have hurt most during a difficult season were the three losses against Union.
Along with successive defeats in the top flight – which included Union’s biggest away win in their Bundesliga history (4-1 at the Olympiastadion) – Hertha also went down to Die Eisernen in the German Cup.
As Hertha goalkeeper Oliver Christensen outlined: ‘We don’t want to put the fans through that again’.
Bundesliga highlights elsewhere could involve newly promoted clubs Schalke (who visit Cologne) and Werder Bremen who face Wolfsburg, now managed by Niko Kovac whose showed his pedigree when he guided Bayern to a domestic double and Frankfurt to the German Cup in recent campaigns.
Meanwhile, German Cup holders RB Leipzig face survival specialists VfB Stuttgart with last season’s Bundesliga Player of the Year, Christopher Nkunku, in their ranks.
The Bundesliga has boasted the highest goals-per-game rate among Europe’s top five leagues in four of the last five seasons. Even without Lewandowski and Haaland, I don’t expect that to change.
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