Bundesliga preview: All eyes on Bayern´s trip to Moenchengladbach

The Bundesliga season resumes on Friday when league leaders Bayern Munich travel to face surprise contenders Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Bayern top the table by three points from reigning champions Borussia Dortmund, with most observers expecting the title race to be fought between the two heavyweights.

Another traditional powerhouse, Schalke, are third, level on points with Dortmund.

And Moenchengladbach, who survived the drop last season thanks to victory in a relegation playoff, have transformed their fortunes to sit fourth, four points off the lead.

Bayern left-back Philipp Lahm has called on his team-mates to make a fast start in the second half of the campaign, with the Bayern captain under no illusions about which of the chasing pack pose the greatest threat.

“We want to set out our stall early on, in order to show our competitors we’re ready to go in the second half of the season from the very first matchday,” Lahm said.

“They’ll compete with us at the top until the very end,” he added, when asked about Dortmund’s prospect.

Bayern’s biggest challenge on Friday could be to shackle Moenchengladbach’s livewire forward Marco Reus.

The Germany international, who will join Dortmund next season in a 17.5 million-euro transfer, has netted 10 times in 15 league appearances so far this season.

Lahm acknowledged the danger posed by Reus, but claimed Bayern have no specific plan to shackle the 22-year-old.

“We won’t be giving him any special treatment,” Lahm said.

“The fact that he’s a superb footballer who can change a game at a moment’s notice is something we’re well aware of.”

“We’ll play our game, but we won’t be concentrating on just one opposing player.”

In Saturday’s matches, Schalke are at home to eighth-placed Stuttgart, while Wolfsburg travel to Cologne.

Struggling Nuremburg – just one place and two points clear of the relegation zone – await the visit of promoted club Hertha Berlin.

Werder Bremen, fifth, are away to Kaiserslautern, who occupy the relegation playoff berth in 16th place.

And bottom club Freiburg, having lost last season’s top scorer Papa Cisse to Newcastle on Tuesday, host second-last Augsburg in a contest key to both teams’ survival hopes.

On Sunday, Dortmund resume their title defence with a trip to take on Hamburg, while sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen are at home to Mainz.