This coming Sunday, two of Germany’s biggest teams will clash once again. When Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have gotten together lately, the match has been called der Klassiker,­­ a nod to Spain’s true rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Notice the word “true” in the last sentence. Madrid and Barcelona have met an astonishing 262 times in all competitions, including friendlies, with the Catalan club just edging in wins­­ 108 to Madrid’s 96. As a counterpoint, Bayern and Dortmund have played 108 times; the Bavarians notching 49 victories (20 more than die Borusse) along the way.

Pretty much everyone who writes about German football in English hates using the term “der Klassiker”. Instead, we are largely forced into it by editors and such. And yes, we are all mostly friends­­ or at least have become friendly over the years­­ as we’re a rather small group of individuals.

But I digress.

The rivalry between the two teams heated up in the 2011 as Juergen Klopp was busy leading his young group of players to storm the Bundesliga; which they did­­ winning the league in 2011 and the domestic double in 2012. In that period, BVB won this match­up five straight times, including humiliating FCB 5:2 in the ‘12 Pokal final.

Since then, however, Bayern has reinstated their league dominance with an emphatic treble-­winning 2013, followed by their own domestic double in 2014, and their third league title in a row the following season. In this stretch, Munich has put together seven victories to Dortmund’s four­­ two of those coming by way of the competitive ­friendly nature of the DFL­Supercup. (An “It only counts if you win” sort­-of­-match.)

SEE MORE: FOX Sports demotes Bayern Munich-Dortmund game to FOX Sports 2.

After the horror show of a season that the Black­ and­ Yellows had in 2015, they have been revitalized this year under new trainer Thomas Tuchel. Even top of the league for the first five Matchdays until stumbling; drawing against Hoffenheim and Darmstadt in their last two Bundesliga outings. Now four points behind Bayern Munich (with a perfect seven wins out of
seven), Sunday’s clash will be more about BVB trying to keep within arm’s distance of die Roten­­ as a loss would see them seven back. In October.

SEE MORE: View the Bundesliga TV schedule for soccer fans in the USA.

Meanwhile, Bayern have not been quite imperious as they would like to start the season­­ staving off Hoffenheim and Augsburg to seal late victories­­ they have shown up large when faced with what are traditionally known as the bigger teams; grabbing three goals over Bayer Leverkusen, and Robert Lewandowski’s nine ­minute, five­ goal destruction of Wolfsburg. But, Pep Guardiola has had the luxury of rotating his squad; something he wasn’t able to do last season, while impressing with game­changing second­ half substitutions.

I’ve been lucky to see a few of these matches in person over the last several years (Bayern’s won twice, and drawn once when I’ve been around), most notably the 2013 Champions League final in Wembley. Most of my friends in the press, like myself, chose not to get accreditation from UEFA; instead choosing to sit with their preferred side. All sitting opposite the stadium from me. I’ve never cried so hard, with so much joy, after the final whistle blew. It’s my all-­time favorite moment in football, in a career and a life full of them.

These matches are all generally testy affairs, full of passion and fun to watch, but let’s not call it der Klassiker­­ not yet. Let’s call Sunday’s showdown what it actually is: a must-­win for Borussia Dortmund.

SEE MORE: It’s time to appreciate the phenom that is Robert Lewandowski.

While Borussia Moenchengladbach has been largely terrible this season. They have no points after five matchdays and took a thumping loss in their initial Champions League group stage match in Seville­­, but nobody expected this. Trainer Lucien Favre surprised the German soccer world by quitting Sunday after a 1-0 derby loss to FC Koeln.

“I’ve come to the realization that the best decision in this situation is for me to step down,” he said. “I no longer feel like I’m the perfect coach for Borussia Moenchengladbach.”

His sentiment parallels Juergen Klopp’s decision to leave Borussia Dortmund last year, but for one huge caveat: Klopp stayed until season’s end­­­ eventually dragging his team from the
relegation zone back up into a European spot­­. Favre has left the Foals severely in the lurch.

He joined the club in 2011, as they faced a relegation play­off with Bochum and, over the last several years, has steadily brought them back to Bundesliga prominence, culminating in last
season’s third­ place finish. He did this despite losing his best players at the end of each season as they were cherry­-picked for the rest of the league. Striker Max Kruse (Wolfsburg) and midfielder Christoph Kramer (Leverkusen) were the latest star transfers out in a list that includes Barcelona’s Marc­-Andre ter Stegen (2014), Dortmund’s
Marco Reus and then­-Bayern Munich’s Dante (both 2013).

Of course, Klopp’s name was the first on everyone’s list to replace Favre, but he nixed the idea through his agent early Monday morning. Instead, the ex-­Dortmund and Mainz coach will likely continue his sabbatical until a) Liverpool becomes available (the fervent wish of nearly all Kop supporters), or b) Bayern Munich comes calling after Pep Guardiola moves on.

As a Bayern supporter, I have a problem with this. Klopp was heavily derided in his last season in charge of BVB, so why ever would the storied club want to hire a trainer that was seen as inflexible­­ a one-trick pony, as it were? I would take Favre over Klopp any day of the week. And I say that as a person who wanted Thomas Tuchel after Jupp Heynckes in 2013.

SEE MORE: Why Thomas Mueller is the most underrated player of his generation.

All of these things hinge on what Pep Guardiola will decide to do­­, made easier as Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal has decided to retire at the end of his current contract. Long has Guardiola been rumored to be joining Manchester City, but despite his having friends in the front office, it’s a move I have never been able to see him make. Clubs offered him more
money than Munich’s front office did, but the Catalan coach loves the massive historical institutions­­ – dare I say the Barcelonas, the Bayern Munichs, the Manchester Uniteds of the
world?

As things stand currently, Pep signs a Bayern extension while waiting for van Gaal to retire. Klopp likely goes to Liverpool when they finally figure out that Brendan Rodgers can’t quite cut the mustard. And Favre? He rejoins the ever­-revolving door of Bundesliga coaches.

Not all are welcome

Last week I touched on the Bundesliga’s plight to help the masses of refugees that have made their way to Germany. It’s a situation that has grown uglier, and more contentious, not by changing opinions on the matter, but through BILD’s cynical usurpation of “Refugees welcome.”

The “Wir helfen” (we help) campaign by the German media giants placed patches on the sleeves of German soccer clubs on matchday five, but it was met with much consternation throughout the country­­, with famously left-­leaning St. Pauli leading the charge, refusing to wear them.

BILD, in the past, has been less than kind to those seeking asylum in Germany, and St. Pauli called out the publication in a public statement:

“FC St. Pauli stands for a welcoming culture. And we act in a way that has set our club apart in the last few decades. We will help in
practical and direct ways where it is needed.”

The staunch refusal by the Hamburg-­based club enraged BILD’s editor, Kai Diekmann, who promptly went to Twitter to voice his opinion: “No heart for refugees: Such a shame, St. Pauli!”

He would go on to battle with the club’s supporters over the course of the day, and into the next, even suggesting that they change their logo to local rival Hamburger SV.

Schaaf’s reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

The ensuing media “s–tstorm” (it’s now a German word, too) caused other clubs to voice their displeasure. SC Freiburg, FC Nuremberg, Union Berlin and VfL Bochum all either publicly
decried Diekmann’s treatment of St. Pauli or refused to wear the patches, as well.

In the end, BILD ran sorry photos on Twitter over the weekend, saying “BILD says ‘thank you’” when they could catch a good snap of a player in action with the patch prominently displayed.

Though the most widely known “Fussballgott,”­­ Bastian Schweinsteiger,­­ left Bayern Munich for Manchester United over the summer, faithful Eintracht Frankfurt fans have crowned their striker, Alexander Meier, with the same moniker.

Funnily enough, while Schweinsteiger was plying his trade with his new team against Liverpool over the weekend, Meier was making waves in a hell of a match against FC Koeln. Die Adler ran out 6-2 victors over the Goats due in no small part to Meier’s hat ­trick.

A hat­ trick is uncommon enough, but what made this one so special is that the 32-year­-old had just returned from a five-month lay­off­­, one in which he still managed to win the league scoring title despite featuring in just 26 matches.

Blessed with an impressive physique, at a statuesque 6’5”, and an everyman demeanor, there is really only one thing wrong with Alex Meier. He sports not one­­ but two­­ man buns. Tragedy.

Refugees welcome

I kid, I kid about hair­ dont’s (as I like to call them), but the real tragedy lies in the very serious refugee crisis enveloping Europe. Germany went above and beyond­­ welcoming many when no other country would (though as I write, the Germans have also now closed their borders)­­, and clubs are all doing their parts in making life just a little easier for those affected.

Bayern made the biggest headlines (met with some cynicism) by pledging a million euro, along with German classes, food and soccer training, but other clubs also made huge, generous moves. In Dortmund, refugees were invited to a Europa League match as the club works closely with the city to provide a welcoming atmosphere. Hannover and Hoffenheim both provided kits, supplies and shoes, while Leverkusen and Werder Bremen started initiatives to help with assimilation.

Perhaps the most touching gesture came from Schalke 04­­ in the way of a video by Gerald Asamoah as he explained how important it is to be human. To feel human. And to unite in our humanity.

Though, sadly, right­ wing factions still exist in German soccer, their intolerant voices are drowned out by the masses of welcoming supporters. Refugees are welcome.

Bayern Dusel

The whole German fussball world was up in arms after referee Knut Kircher pointed to the spot late in Bayern’s match against FC Augsburg on Saturday. Douglas Costa had gone down in the box, blocked by Markus Feulner, and the linesman called a foul.

If it was a foul, it was admittedly soft as Thomas Mueller struck home past FCA keeper Marwin Hitz to seal Bayern’s fourth win on the trot­­, keeping them in the league’s second spot behind a resurgent Borussia Dortmund.

Augsburg’s trainer Markus Weinzierl was blisteringly angry as he (and the rest of the world) felt that his team had been robbed of a point. He has an (ahem) point after the stalwart defensive performance that Hitz and center­ backs Jan­-Ingwer Callsen­-Bracker and Ragnar Klavan put together; furiously battling off nearly everything Munich threw their way.

It was the latest example of “Bayern­-Dusel” – a derogatory term meaning “undeserved luck” (and just one of many leveled against the club by their legions of haters). But, was it really “undeserved?”

FCB assaulted Augsburg with 27 shots (ten on target) to the visitor’s four (their lone shot on goal blistered past Manuel Neuer), while maintaining nearly 80% possession over the course of 90 minutes.

SEE MORE: Bayern leave it late, keep pace with Dortmund.

Kircher got in touch with Weinzierl, as well as appearing in every media market, apologizing for the mistake. “I trusted my linesman,” he said. It’s a testament to the hatred for Bayern that he was forced in to such a public apology in the first place.

Bad calls happen all the time across the league. Mistakes are made everywhere. In fact, just that day, Dortmund was also awarded a soft call that absolutely no one got up in arms over. Why is that? I have a theory.

The reason why everybody is so upset about Bayern’s “Dusel” is because everybody watches them play. Everybody. The seething masses that watch in case they get to witness a rare loss as well as the club’s enormous, adoring fan base.

While they might enjoy a slight advantage of calls going their way –­­ all the big clubs enjoy this­­ — the only reason there is a perception that undeserved decisions happen more often for Munich is a sheer numbers­ of­ viewers per game.

If Kircher has mistakenly pointed to the spot and no one was there to see it, would it have actually happen?

Though the summer or winter transfer markets have always linked player “X” from Bayern Munich to Manchester United, historically there hasn’t been a mass movement between the Bundesliga and the Premier League. Until this summer.

Thirteen Bundesliga players have crossed the pond from Germany to England this summer, with over 200 million euro poured into Bundesliga team coffers. The Premier League’s new television deal means every club in England’s top flight is positively flush with cash, and the money being offered for transfers borders on outrageous.

There are two ways to look at this:

1) THE SKY IS FALLING. Germany can’t hope to compete with the wages and transfer money being offered by Premier League clubs. And yes, this is mostly true. Bayern Munich might be an outlier here, but they still will protect their reputation as the most financially sound club in all the land. But, fact of the matter is any first division team in England can out-bid almost every other European club, save Barcelona, Real Madrid and possibly Paris Saint-Germain.

2) If incoming money was utilized responsibly by Bundesliga clubs, their healthy youth systems — the supposed envy of the English — should be able to promote and find talent from within. Or buy cheaply abroad and get talent that way.

SEE MORE: Chicharito leaves Manchester United for three-year deal at Leverkusen.

Kevin de Bruyne to Manchester City from Wolfsburg for what could amount to 80 million euro. Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim to Liverpool for 41 million. Son Heung-min moves to Tottenham from Leverkusen for 30 million. Chelsea paid 20 million to Augsburg for Abdul Rahman.

These are figures that double, sometimes nearly triple, the players’ actual valuations. It is still too soon to determine whether the English are “ruining the league” — a title passed among Bundesliga rivals — but there’s no doubt that their sort of Monopoly money will continue to turn heads.

Dortmund still rule, Moenchengladbach still fade

Borussia Dortmund go into the international break as Spitzenreiter with a 3-1 victory against Hertha Berlin while Borussia Moenchengladbach fell to Werder Bremen, 2-1, and sit bottom of the league table after three matchdays.

In the various and sundry league previews I did, I had picked the Foals (if de Bruyne were sold from Wolfsburg) to be Bayern’s biggest challengers, but it would seem I vastly underestimated the departures of Christoph Kramer (Leverkusen) and Max Kruse (Wolfsburg).

I also underestimated the brilliance of new Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel (and I can’t figure out why; I love the guy). Part of this, perhaps, is the residual reputation of former Dortmund trainer Juergen Klopp. Though I never exactly drank his particular brand of Kool-Aid, his back-to-back league titles with BVB, and ensuing hipster fandom worldwide, gave me pause.

SEE MORE: Adnan Januzaj moves to Dortmund on season-long loan.

With their rude play through the season’s initial three matches, I asked Black-and-Yellow supporters about the differences between Tuchel and Klopp. While most furiously, passionately defended Klopp when Dortmund suffered the trials of last season, they were a bit more pragmatic here and now. “Klopp was tired and had run out of ideas,” they said. “The team was tired.” Easy to say, I guess, when you’re top of the table.

Party in the nation’s capital

I had the opportunity to fly to Washington D.C. on Saturday to hang out with their Bayern Munich fan club, plus members of the Dettelbach and Baltimore clubs. Representatives from the New York Bayern office, plus mascot Berni, were on hand to greet over 150 members and supporters from all over.

A 3-0 result over Bayer Leverkusen, with Bayern fielding no natural center backs, was the icing on the cake for me as I got to enjoy the match with many people I knew through my writing, but had never met in person.

SEE MORE: Up-to-the-minute transfer deadline deals.

D.C. club vice president, Michael Morton said, “Naturally, the result of the match was perfect and meshed well with our Summerfest party; making for quite the celebration.”

It’s always a great time to get out and say hello – even with people I have vociferously argued with online. Over two hundred liters of Paulaner served that day may have had a part in lubricating any tensions.

If you happen to be a fan of club football over country, like myself, then you tend to find this first upcoming international break more of an annoyance than anything else. Just as teams in the various European leagues are just getting started/starting to jell, along comes a week off to throw off rhythm, and bring chances for injuries, with either Euro qualifying or international friendlies.

For some in the Bundesliga, though, it will be a much needed break; allowing some teams to assess where it has gone off the rails in first couple of matches. Yes, Borussia Moenchengladbach­­, I’m looking at you.

Dead last in the league after two matches­­, a shellacking by Borussia Dortmund, 4-0, and a tight 2-1 loss to Mainz 05­­ means Lucien Favre must go back to the drawing board after their latest chance to grab points at Werder Bremen this upcoming weekend. Defense matters most, as Favre certainly misses captain and center back Martin Stranzl, but profligacy in front of goal is also an issue for the Foals as they wasted several clear cut chances against the Nullfuenfer.

SEE MORE: FOX Sports kicks off Bundesliga coverage with promising first weekend.

Though Schalke 04 put three past Werder Bremen to open the season, they stumbled a bit in week two, only picking up a single point against a surprisingly resilient, promoted Darmstadt. I mention Schalke, as well as ‘Gladbach, because only three teams have taken all six points after just two matchdays: usual suspects Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.

If you made a table of the top seven finishers last season, solely competing against each other, Bayern would have placed dead­last. Yet, they still managed to win the league. How did they accomplish this? By beating the “lesser” teams,­­ winning the matches they were “supposed” to win. Even Wolfsburg,­­ wholly distracted by the on­going Kevin de Bruyne transfer saga­­, should have picked up three against Koeln. It’s a draw that may hurt them later on.

Speaking of de Bruyne…

Nobody is quite sure exactly how the protracted “de Bruyne to Manchester City” deal will end, but I am of the opinion that the talented Belgian midfielder should stay at Wolfsburg­­ for at least this season.

By now all are aware that I am a massive Bayern homer, but my thoughts on the matter have little to do with the rumors that de Bruyne wants a move to Munich for the 2016-­17 season. More thoughtfully, I want him to stay with the Wolves to give the Bundesliga­­ as a whole­­ a boost, and Wolfsburg, specifically, to create a sustainable, attainable European team over the long haul.

The gobs of cash every Premier League side now has is distracting, and heads can easily be turned as the top flight teams throw their money around willy­-nilly. But Wolfsburg,­­ owned by Volkswagen,­­ is not a club in any sort of dire financial straits.

SEE MORE: De Bruyne was duped into saying he would stay at Wolfsburg, says agent

Figures ranging from 70-­80 million euros have been bandied about, and yes, every club and player eventually has a price. But if Wolfsburg were able to keep together their core group of players –­­ de Bruyne being the biggest key­­ — the club will find themselves picking up UEFA cash over the next few seasons. as they will be able to continuously qualify for Champions League competition.

The metric system

While Fox’s Bundesliga coverage means I no longer have to leave my house to watch matches, I still find myself inexorably drawn to my local pub, the Lion and Eagle, most Saturday mornings. I have a specified TV, seat and crazy routine where I check stats from my laptop, live tweet from my phone, take notes for reviews, and keep an eye on other matches, too. And yes, I’d be lying if I said a pint or two wasn’t involved.

Saturday found me seated at my regular table with a group of American guys,­­ all relatively new fans of European football. We watched the Hoffenheim -Bayern match together as they peppered me with questions (that I’m always glad to answer) throughout.

Bayern’s Jerome Boateng left the pitch in the second half after seeing two yellow cards in two minutes, Hoffenheim’s Eugen Polanski stepped up to take the penalty after the second. Bayern weren’t meant to pay for it as he struck the post and the rebound fell to Manuel Neuer, and after getting a good chuckle out of the miss, they asked me a question: “How far away is the penalty spot from the goal?”

“Eleven meters,” I replied; not looking up from my notes, as I was recording the play.

SEE MORE: Susie Schaaf’s thoughts and observations from first Bundesliga gameweek

When finished, I finally looked up at the table around me, and was faced with five different blank stares. “What,” I said, laughing, “you don’t know how far 11 meters is?”

“Uh, nope.”

“Sheesh! Americans!” I thought to myself, but said out loud. “Guys, guys … it’s 36 feet.”

If the first Bundesliga matchday is anything to go by, Borussia Dortmund is definitely back. Taking over from Jurgen Klopp, as he did at Mainz, coach Thomas Tuchel has reinvigorated BVB. “We weren’t expecting that,” he said post­ match; having just beaten the other Borussia­­ Monchengladbach­­ 4:0. Perhaps more surprising than the scoreline, though, is the manner in which the victory came about.

A caveat, perhaps, is necessary when discussing ‘Gladbach’s heavy defeat: Captain and center back Martin Stranzl is out injured; forcing Lucien Favre to use a very young defensive pairing of Marvin Schultz (20) and Andreas Christensen (19). Though Josip Drmic was brought in from Leverkusen, you could sense that Favre was missing former forward Max Meyer, and the experience of Christoph Kramer in the middle of the park.

SEE MORE: Get a free 7-day trial to FOX Soccer 2GO to watch the Bundesliga.

Marco Reus and Pierre­ Emerick Aubameyang shone most obviously, but looking a bit deeper there were some surprises. Left­ back Marcel Schmelzer looked an altogether different player­­ quick in defending against Drmic, but even better going forward, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is now allowed to be more thoughtful. The Armenian’s brace was the topping on the cake for a banner Dortmund day, and all the more telling as he was rumored to be unhappy, and leaving the club. “I am pleased that I managed to convince him that he was ready to play again and throw himself in to the game,” said Tuchel about “Miki.” “He is now reaping the rewards from this.”

Both promoted sides get points

Both Bundesliga debutantes, Ingolstadt and Darmstadt, managed to walk away with points in the first week: Darmstadt drew 2:2 with Hannover at home thanks to a brace by left­wing Marcel Heller, while Ingolstadt took all three points at Mainz through Austrian forward Lukas Hinterseer.

Ingolstadt’s trainer Ralf Hasenhuettl is called the “Alpine Klopp,” and indeed is nearly as charming as his “namesake,” occasionally traveling to see first­ division team practices incognito­­ on his bike, with sunglasses and a helmet on. When asked about whether Ingolstadt could stay up, he told D​ie Welt, ​“It may be that we play a great year, get 35 points, but still not have three clubs behind us. Then we can say we played a great year, but it wasn’t enough.”

Bayern jumps to early pole position

Though all the press focused on Dortmund’s shellacking of ‘Gladbach (and rightly so), Bayern Munich continued their domination over Hamburger SV in Friday night’s league opener. Munich, scoring five to BVB’s four, would end up on the top of the table in week one­­ a position they may not relinquish for the remainder of the season due to their smart signings of Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa.

Vidal, from Juventus, led the team in passing and tackles, but Brazilian Costa, from Donetsk, stole the show with his blazing speed and whipped, accurate crosses; garnering a goal and an assist along the way.

SEE MORE: Read our Bundesliga 2015/16 season preview.

The denouement of last season, as Bayern slipped in form to weakly cross the finish line, might have given the other big German teams hope that maybe they would have a shot. But, watching them destroy Hamburg,­­ and not yet wholly organized,­­ should give pause. Yes, great moves were made by Bundesliga clubs­­ in hopes of preventing Bayern from collecting their fourth consecutive title, but you could probably get good odds on d​ie Roten l​eading the fray from week one through week 34.

Bayern and Wolfsburg square off in Pokal

While Bayern may have taken an early lead in the league, the chances of a domestic double have been lessened as they drew Wolfsburg for Round Two of the cup competition. The Wolves recently beat FCB in the pre­-season’s semi­-serious DFL Supercup (the previous season’s league and cup winners), and look to be charging on with a full head of steam by knocking out their stiffest competition.

SEE MORE: FOX Sports kicks off Bundesliga coverage with promising first weekend.

Kevin de Bruyne, heavily rumored with a move to Manchester City before the transfer window snaps shut, will be there. According to him. Receiving an award at S​portbild’s​ annual show, the Belgian told the assembled audience that he would be there when the two teams matched up next month. Case closed? Or not, perhaps, as his agent today said that de Bruyne was duped into saying it.

Programming note: Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to FOX Sports 2 or FOX Soccer Plus, you can watch every single Bundesliga game live on FOX Soccer 2GO with a free 7-day trial. The service streams every Bundesliga game to your computer, tablet or smartphone. And set-up just takes minutes.

Bundesliga title holders for the last three seasons, Bayern Munich dropped off their wholly imperious form towards the end of their last campaign. Injury ­hit over large swathes of three competitions, the Bavarians allowed Wolfsburg to get relatively close —­­ just ten points back in second place, which was­­ a far cry from the two years previous when they won the league by 25 and 19 points, respectively.

A new season (see Bundesliga TV schedule) brings a new set of challenges as Bayern looks to become the first Bundesliga side to win the league for four consecutive years, but the runners-­up have made some shrewd summer transfer moves as they look to overcome­­ or, at least, keep pace with­­ the Munich juggernaut.

SEE MORE: Get a free 7-day trial to FOX Soccer 2GO to watch the Bundesliga.

The aforementioned Wolfsburg are Munich’s most recent title challengers, and look to retain that place going forward in to this season. Coach Dieter Hecking will be thankful Germany’s player ­of ­the­ year, midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, is staying at the Volkswagen outfit despite suitors across Europe’s biggest teams.

New point­ man, Max Kruse, joins the Wolves from Borussia Monchengladbach; giving de Bruyne another fine target up top (11 goals, 10 assists in 2014­15), but Hecking’s men might find it hard going involved in Champions League competition for the first time in five years. He’ll look to veterans Luiz Gustavo, Ricardo Rodriguez, Naldo, Timm Klose and captain Diego Benaglio to keep a handle on the defensive end of business.

Monchengladbach’s trainer Lucien Favre somehow manages to keep his team ever­ threatening despite losing top talent every season. This year is no different. Though Kruse left for Wolfsburg, and Christoph Kramer’s loan­ spell ended, Favre secured the services of forward Josip Drmic from Bayer Leverkusen to adeptly take Kruse’s place, along with former Hannover captain Lars Stindl­­, a complete box­ to ­box midfielder. Chelsea’s young talent Thorgan Hazard, on ­loan to the Foals last season, is now a permanent fixture at the club, but Favre­­ like Hecking­­ may find it difficult going with a smallish squad size (25) and added European fixtures.

Leverkusen’s summer is likely not quite finished as they still look to replace Gonzalo Castro (Borussia Dortmund), but they will heartily welcome back Kramer­­ who turned into a complete midfield threat during his two years at ‘Gladbach,­­ and Admir Mehmedi from Mainz­­ — a second striker to pair with Stefan Kiessling. Coach Roger Schmidt’s vision of how he would like his team to play has come along quite nicely over the last year, highlighted by an ever­ threatening midfield of Heung­ Min Son, Karim Bellarabi, young Julian Brandt and free­kick specialist Hakan Calhanoglu.

Though Schalke 04’s front office dealings have often been shambolic, they still managed to snap up 21-year-­old Johannes Geis from Mainz 05 and Junior Caicara from Ludogorets Razgrad, with Matija Nastasic returning from Manchester City. New trainer Andre Breitenreiter­­ replacing Roberto di Matteo­­ will hope to improve on last season’s sixth­-placed finish, but will have to do so without the experience of Jefferson Farfan and Christian Fuchs. Luckily, he’s got a squad chock ­full of young talent at his disposal, and one or two players coming in before the close of the window.

Last season, Borussia Dortmund dramatically crawled out of the relegation zone to secure a Europa League play­off spot as everybody’s favorite football manager Juergen Klopp said goodbye to the club. In comes tactical master Thomas Tuchel (also Klopp’s replacement at Mainz), veteran midfielder Castro from Leverkusen and shot ­stopper Roman Buerki from relegated SC Freiburg (152 saves in 34 matches). Castro shores up the midfield in front of a back four that were not quite what they should have been, while Buerki takes over Mitch Langerak’s mantle in goal as Roman Weidenfeller slowly makes way. Tuchel has some work to do to get the swagger back in the Black and Yellows with speedster Pierre­ Emerick Aubameyang and uber­-talented Marco Reus leading the way.

Though Augsburg find themselves in Europa League competition after their highest­ ever Bundesliga finish (5th), this season­­ with the added pressure of Europe and travel­­ may see them slip up. Their massive squad size has swelled to 32 with the signings of ‘Kusen youth product Dominik Kohr and Gruether Fuerth’s wing ­back Ronny Philp, but Markus Weinzierl faces his biggest challenge yet as he tries to keep FCA in three competitions.

Mainz 05 might make some waves towards the top seven places with their signing of Basel’s Fabian Frei­­. The Swiss midfielder comes in cool­ as ­a­ cucumber with plenty of Champions League experience.

1899 Hoffenheim have been busier than most this summer. Trainer Markus Gisdol’s squad has been strengthened with the signings of Fabian Schaer (Basel), midfielder Jonathan Schmid (Freiburg) and forward Mark Uth (Heerenveen), but losing Roberto Firmino to Liverpool is a hole that is not easily replaced.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s veteran goal talisman, Alexander Meier, will still miss the first couple of months of the new season due to injury, so Luc Castaignos was brought in from FC Twente. Stefan Reinartz (Leverkusen) also stabilizes the defensive midfield position for Armin Veh’s Eagles.

SEE MORE: Read all of the details about FOX Sports’ Bundesliga coverage on US TV.

Werder Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik just failed to qualify for Europe after sitting bottom of the league alongside Dortmund, but will be hard­ pressed to stay mid-­table this year after losing Sebastian Proedl to Watford and Davie Selke to RB Leipzig.

FC Koeln’s forward Anthony Ujah comes in with ten goals in 32 matches. Koeln, meanwhile, build on a solid defensive campaign with the offensive additions of Leonardo Bittencourt (Hannover), Anthony Modeste (Hoffenheim) and Serbian Milos Jojic (Dortmund).

VfB Stuttgart look to improve on their inexorable years­ long slide down the Bundesliga table (14th last season) by bringing in new trainer Alexander Zorniger and Dortmund’s ‘keeper Mitch Langerak, but let talented youth Joshua Kimmich escape to Bayern Munich alongside Sven Ulreich.

Hertha Berlin picked up some wide talent with young and versatile Mitchell Weiser from Bayern, but that will not be enough to keep the Old Lady out of the relegation zone this year.

Bruno Labbadia’s Hamburger SV looks to improve on a league­ worst 25 goals in 2015. Forward Batuhan Altintas, at just 19 years­ old, is yet unproven, but HSV did get rid of some dead weight, losing Rafael van der Vaart, Marcel Jansen and Heiko Westermann.

Debutants FC Ingolstadt 04 cruised through the 2. Bundesliga last season to gain promotion this year and have bolstered a somewhat light squad with the signing of fellow debutant SV Darmstadt 98’s Romain Bregerie and left ­back Markus Suttner (FK Austria Wien). Darmstadt, winning promotion through play­off, added experienced left­ back Konstantin Rausch and Mario Vrancic (Stuttgart and Paderborn, respectively.)

All of these teams will be looking to get one over on Bayern Munich. While there was a slight hint of blood in the water at the end of the 2015 season, Bayern have also boosted their chances going forward with the adroit signings of speedy winger Douglas Costa (Shakhtar Donetsk), box­ to­ box midfielder Arturo Vidal (Juventus FC) and young Kimmich.

Costa, brought in to replace the aging Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, has mightily impressed preseason, as Vidal adds a defensive oomph missing from Bayern since Mark van Bommel left. Kimmich will be learning behind Xabi Alonso as the squad looks to move on from the emotional loss of Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United.

Many still see Bayern as the clear ­cut champions heading in to this 2015­16 Bundesliga season, but how do you think it all shakes out?

The four strongest teams took their separate ways to get to this point, but all have made it. You may argue that FIFA wanted a Brazil-Argentina final, but there’s a few hundred million watchers around the globe that would love to see an all-European final on South American soil.

Although five-time World Cup winners, Brazil, and three-time of the same, Germany, are meeting for only the second time in this competition– their first truly international meeting resulting in a German loss in 2002’s World Cup final, with a brace by Ronaldo. A loss for the German national team was one that German fans could cope with since few German fans ever expected them to get to that final.

Germany was in crisis after losing to Brazil, but kept plugging away after. In 2006, Jurgen Klinsmann — hero-coach of the German hosts — would quit the DFB after a disappointing loss to Italy, and a surprise 3rd placed finish. In his successive years, he was hired at Bayern; the team trying to catch his glory, but fell well short — and he’d be fired before he brought absolute mayhem upon Bayern’s season.

Klinsmann’s story, however, does not belong here.

This story now belongs to Germany and Brazil.

A tantalizing semi-final awaits when these two nations draw swords, but Brazil will be bereft of a national talisman in forward Neymar. And while his drive — holding a nation on his narrow, now broken, back — is much revered; the biggest loss for a Selecao will prove to be captain Thiago Silva. A second yellow against Colombia for Silva makes way for Dante to partner with David Luiz at center-back, and despite everything Dante knows about his Bayern Munich teammates — he’ll come up lacking.

As a Bayern supporter, I love Dante’s energy and what he’s all about. There’s Samba. An afro. A gorgeous smile… what’s not to like? But I see a German system going forward that rips the Brazilian defense apart with Silva out. Former Bayern midfielder Luis Gustavo will be back after serving a one-match suspension, but he may not be enough to hold the threatening tide of Müller, Goetze, Ozil and Schurrle.

This match will be won in holding midfield, and in center-defense, on both sides. To most, the quarter-finals of this tourney got a lot less exciting, but “Do you want us to play pretty, and lose again,” as Per Mertesacker questioned after the Germany-Algeria game? It’s not the prettiest team that wins, but merely the best team on the day.