Finally, the Bundesliga has returned to the field. Friday afternoon, in the gorgeous Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich host Hamburg in the opening match of the 2015-16 season. It's back!
Yes, at the top of the page, you do see a YouTube video. That is a free live stream (for Americans only?) that Fox Sports is providing to their viewers for the Bundesliga opener. The Bundesliga truly is back, and it's better than ever.
As for the match, it's expected that at least two newcomers will receive their FC Bayern debut in Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal, while Joshua Kimmich remains a possibility. The excitement that Costa injects into the field makes him as near a direct replacement for Franck Ribery that Bayern could have found, and Vidal's return to the Bundesliga sees one of the world's best central midfielders bolster an already dynamic midfield.
Bayern has done well to "handle" Hamburg in recent years with some of those matches turning into a good, old fashioned BBQ. Will the same happen this time? Does the Dino end up on the grill?
Once the lineups are released, this thread will be updated.
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Time: 8:30 pm local time, 2:30 am ET
TV/Streaming: USA (Fox Sports 2, Fox Soccer 2 Go, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports Go, Fox Sports Regional Networks), UK (BT Sports Europe), Germany (ARD, Sky Go), Canada (Sportsnet World, Sportsnet World Now)
Full Listings: Other Countries
Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski
Douglas Costa - Thomas Müller - Arturo Vidal - Arjen Robben
Xabi Alonso
David Alaba - Mehdi Benatia - Jerome Boateng - Philipp Lahm
Manuel Neuer
Bench: Sven Ulreich, Thiago Alcantara, Rafinha, Juan Bernat, Mario Götze, Joshua Kimmich, Pierre Hojbjerg
Hamburg
Ivo Ilicevic - Sven Schipplock
Michael Gregoritsch - Lewis Holtby - Gideon Jung
Albin Ekdal
Matthias Ostrzolek - Emir Spahic - Johan Djourou - Dennis Diekmeier
Rene Adler
Bench: Andreas Hirzel, Marcelo Diaz, Gojko Kačar, Nicolai Müller, Pierre Lasogga, Ivica Olic
Looking for an unending well of Bayern Munich content? Sign up for an SBNation account and join the conversation on Bavarian Football Works. Whether it's full match coverage and analysis, breaking news, or you just want a place to discuss what happens when someone gets "Müllered", we have it all.