FOOTBALL is back this weekend – well, Fussball is, at any rate!
English fans will no doubt be looking to adopt a German team to help satisfy their cravings.
Premier League fans will be cheering on Bundesliga sides this weekend
And some Premier League supporters should find picking a Bundesliga club quite simple
So, with that in mind, here’s your handy SunSport guide to who to follow…
BAYERN MUNICH
League position: 1st Boss: Hansi Flick
Which Prem club would they be: MAN UTD. Biggest club in Germany and the one everyone else loves to hate.
Why you should support them: Bayern have won seven titles in a row and a staggering 29 in total. Very rarely will you go home and kick the cat.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND
League position: 2nd Boss: Lucien Favre
Which Prem club would they be: LIVERPOOL. Jurgen Klopp was boss, they sing You’ll Never Walk Alone…it’s a match made in heaven.
Why you should support them: The Yellow Wall is the eighth wonder of the world. Capable of intimidating opponents and throwing confetti in perfect unison.
RB LEIPZIG
League position: 3rd Boss: Julian Nagelsmann
Which Prem club would they be: MAN CITY. Gung-ho and wealthy. But City are liked by other fans, Leipzig are not.
Why you should support them: They make Pep Guardiola look conservative. Three at the back, one vaguely defensive midfielder, everyone else bombs forward.
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
League position: 4th Boss: Marco Rose
Which Prem club would they be: ARSENAL. Big club, very successful in the 70s, can’t quite replicate their past glories.
Why you should support them: Their sense of humour. When a Scottish pub called them ‘A German Team’ after giving up trying to spell their name, the club changed its Twitter tag to match.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN
League position: 5th Boss: Peter Bosz
Which Prem club would they be: CHELSEA. Exciting young talent, a regular top-four challenger and a mainstay in Europe.
Why you should support them: The original works team. Gone from pharmaceutical XI to Champions League. Their Twitter account (@bayer04_en) is the best in Germany.
SCHALKE
League position: 6th Boss: David Wagner
Which Prem club would they be: SPURS. Massive club, state-of-the-art stadium, haven’t won much recently.
Why you should support them: Their ground is sponsored by a brewery and boasts a three-mile beer pipeline that pumps Pilsner to more than 100 bars.
WOLFSBURG
League position: 7th Boss: Oliver Glasner
Which Prem club would they be: WOLVES. Clue is in the name. Both have plenty of bite and a European pedigree.
Why you should support them: Backed by Volkswagen, who own the world’s biggest car plant next door, they are reliable, practical and capable of overtaking more illustrious models.
Bayern are Germany’s biggest and most successful clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty
FREIBURG
League position: 8th Boss: Christian Streich
Which Prem club would they be: BURNLEY. Defying the odds season after season with team spirit and a cult figure as coach.
Why you should support them: Their old-school stadium may not look much but the Black Forest background makes it the most picturesque in Germany. Shame they’re moving next season.
HOFFENHEIM
League position: 9th Boss: Alfred Schreuder
Which Prem club would they be: LEICESTER. Ruffled the feathers of the top-four hierarchy, albeit with significant investment.
Why you should support them: If you play Football Manager, then they’re right up your street. Take a fifth division village side in 2000 to the Champions League…with the help of a lorry load of cash.
COLOGNE
League position: 10th Boss: Markus Gisdol
Which Prem club would they be: NEWCASTLE. Iconic stadium, crazy fanbase and a team capable of imploding at any minute.
Why you should support them: Their mascot is a live goat called Hennes. Former striker Lukas Podolski loves the city so much he owns a kebab house there.
UNION BERLIN
League position: 11th Boss: Urs Fischer
Which Prem club would they be: SHEFF UTD. Promoted last May and the surprise package of this season’s Bundesliga.
Why you should support them: What with the Cold War and a rivalry with the Stasi-backed BFC Dynamo, they haven’t had it easy. Their current stadium was actually rebuilt by their fans.
Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall is one of the most iconic stands in EuropeCredit: Getty Images – Getty
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
League position: 12th Boss: Adi Hutter
Which Prem club would they be: EVERTON. Should be higher in the table but always more likely to win a cup than a title.
Why you should support them: The president Peter Fischer is almost as passionate as the fans. Once accused of inciting a pyrotechnic show by proclaiming: “The stadium must burn today.”
HERTHA BERLIN
League position: 13th Boss: Bruno Labbadia
Which Prem club would they be: WEST HAM. Big-city team playing in an Olympic Stadium, often accused of under-achieving.
Why you should support them: They are never ever boring. Jurgen Klinsmann shocked the club in February by announcing his resignation as manager in a Facebook post.
AUGSBURG
League position: 14th Boss: Heiko Herrlich
Which Prem club would they be: BRIGHTON/WATFORD. Established as a top-flight club but always with one eye over their shoulder.
Why you should support them: Despite living in the shadow of Munich, they are still burning brightly in the Bundesliga…partly due to the psychedelic lights that adorn their stadium.
Schalke are one of Germany’s best-supported clubsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
MAINZ
League position: 15th Boss: Achim Beierlorzer
Which Prem club would they be: CRYSTAL PALACE. Likeable underdogs. The only difference is Mainz’s ground sits in a cornfield, Palace is a little more built up.
Why you should support them: The club where Jurgen Klopp played and then cut his impressive teeth as a manager. Klopp won promotion to the top flight and is loved almost as much as their carnival season.
FORTUNA DUSSELDORF
League position: 16th Boss: Uwe Rosler
Which Prem club would they be: SOUTHAMPTON. Enjoyed their most successful spell in the 70s when they were winning domestic cup competitions.
Why you should support them: One of the oldest clubs in Germany and the setting for TV’s Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Also the home of 80s band Kraftwerk, who based their hit The Model on the city’s fashion industry.
WERDER BREMEN
League position: 17th Boss: Florian Kohfeldt
Which Prem club would they be: ASTON VILLA. Countless trophies in the past. For a club of their size and stature, they should be nowhere near a relegation battle.
Why you should support them: Every goal is greeted with an enthusiastic rendition of The Proclaimers’ 500 miles that puts most wedding parties to shame. The only ground in Germany you can reach by boat.
PADERBORN
League position: 18th Boss: Steffen Baumgart
Which Prem club would they be: NORWICH/BOURNEMOUTH. A combination of the two. The size of Bournemouth coupled with the survival chances of Norwich.
Why you should support them: They need all the help they can get. Promoted last year as surprise runners-up and a real yo-yo club. They have been in five different divisions in six years.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
