Bundesliga: All systems go for the restart

The honeymoon is over for Carlo Ancelotti and the serious business starts now. Bayern Munich have faced a greater threat than they had in years in the form of RB Leipzig. However, Bayern sent out a message to the upstarts with an emphatic 3-0 win in December. Having tied down Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, they will be hoping they have enough experience to keep the Red Bull-backed side at bay.

RB have taken the league by storm and begun to win over some of their detractors with their high-intensity football. In 18-year-old center back Dayot Upamecano, RB have added another defensive option while the likes of Emil Forsberg, Timo Werner (photo) and Marcel Sabitzer will look to continue their outstanding form. Leipzig's stated aim remains a European place but could they go all the way?

The Berliners bounced back from a disappointing Europa League exit to record one of their best ever starts to a Bundesliga campaign. Vedad Ibisevic has led the way with eight goals but Salomon Kalou is initially on international duty with Ivory Coast. Pal Dardai has steadied the ship at Hertha since taking over in 2015, although discussions over a potential move to a new stadium rumble on.

Eintracht Frankfurt have been a revelation under Croatian coach Nico Kovac, who has moulded the Eagles into a highly efficient unit. With 11 different goal scorers, Kovac's men are shouldering their responsibilities as a collective and attacking midfielder Marco Fabian (photo) has finally come good. Is a return to Europe on the cards?

The only unbeaten team in Europe's top five leagues, Hoffenheim are enjoying their best Bundesliga season since 2007-08. Julian Nagelsmann, 29, is the Bundesliga's youngest-ever head coach, but his team plays with a maturity that belies his age. With Sebastian Rudy and Niklas Süle set to leave for Bayern Munich at the end of the season, the squad could need another overhaul in the summer.

Having signed eight new players in the summer, it is perhaps not surprising that Dortmund endured such a topsy-turvy first half of the season. Injuries haven't helped either, nor will Bundesliga top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's absence during the Africa Cup of Nations. Now Adrian Ramos has moved to China. Expect coach Thomas Tuchel's (photo) roller-coaster ride to continue in 2017.

Cologne are enjoying some stability under sporting director Jörg Schmadke and head coach Peter Stöger. Their success has been due in no small measure to Anthony Modeste's 13 goals. Center-back Mergim Mavraj has joined HSV but Cologne's squad has largely remained intact, with Leonardo Bittencourt, Marcel Risse, Frederik Sörensen, Matthias Lehmann and Jonas Hector all signing contract extensions.

Promoted as last season's second-division champions, Freiburg have adapted well to life back in the Bundesliga. Seven wins, seven defeats and two draws have seen them comfortably anchored in mid-table and head coach Christian Streich (above, second from left) would be more than happy with that come the end of the season.

Despite an unbeaten record in the Champions League, Leverkusen have been inconsistent domestically. Julian Brandt, 20, has impressed in midfield while Hakan Calhanoglu has supplemented his six assists with five goals. With Javier Hernandez now without a goal in over 1,000 minutes, the good news for head coach Roger Schmidt (above, right) is that Karim Bellarabi is back.

After a disappointing Europa League campaign, Mainz are now free to concentrate on domestic matters but will have to do so without top scorer Yunus Malli (eight goals, eight assists), who has joined Wolfsburg. With Jhon Cordoba suspended and Yoshinori Muto injured, Mainz have been linked with Den Haag attacker Gervane Kastaneer and Standard Liege midfielder Adrien Trebel.

Five defeats in their opening five saw the Royal Blues pinned to the foot of the table. A 12-game unbeaten run followed but a raft of injuries has weakened the squad. Guido Burgstaller has joined from Nuremberg after scoring 14 goals in 16 second-division matches, while center back Holger Badstuber (photo) has come in on loan from Bayern Munich. Can they make a difference?

From Europa League under Markus Weinzierl to mid-table obscurity under Dirk Schuster, Augsburg now embark on a new era under Manuel Baum. After a second coaching change in just seven months, Bundesliga survival remains the No. 1 priority. But fans of the Bundesliga's second-lowest scorers would like to see some more production from striker Don Won Ji (photo), who has just three goals so far.

Wolfsburg have invested carefully over the winter break to compensate for the loss of the unsettled Julian Draxler to Paris Saint Germain, signing Yunus Malli from Mainz, Yannick Gerhardt from Cologne, Paul-Georges Ntep from Stade Rennes and Riechedly Bazoer from Ajax. Relegation would be a disaster for Wolfsburg - can the new-look Wolves do enough to stay up?

After making six Bundesliga appearances for Gladbach in the 1980s, Dieter Hecking is back. French defender Timothee Kolodziejczak (from Sevilla) has been their only winter signing, as Hecking looks to re-establish a four-man defense at the Rhineland club and climb up the table. Doubts remain over the future of midfield star Mahmoud Dahoud after the 21-year-old turned down a contract extension.

It's been a difficult season so far for coach Alexander Nouri (above left) and Werder Bremen but where would the Green and Whites be without Serge Gnabry (right)? The only addition to the squad so far has been midfielder Thomas Delaney from Copenhagen. The Dane may feature sooner than expected after Florian Grillitsch dislocated his shoulder in training.

The Bundesliga "dinosaur," the only side never to have been relegated from the top flight, is embroiled in a third relegation dogfight in four seasons. Manager Markus Gisdol has boosted his defensive options with Mergim Mavraj moving north from Cologne and Kyriakos Papadopoulos coming in on loan from Leverkusen. New chairman Heribert Bruchhagen (photo) should steady the ship off the field.

A first win of the season against Darmstadt, victory over RB Leipzig and a shock 2-1 win away at Bayer Leverkusen - Maik Walpurgis (photo) has revitalized Ingolstadt. Schalke right back Phil Neumann will join Ingolstadt on a free transfer in the summer but Walpurgis' squad otherwise remains unchanged as the Bavarians battle to remain in the Bundesliga.

Darmstadt's fairytale story could be coming to an end. Rock-bottom and eight points from safety, Norbert Meier was sacked in December to be replaced by Torsten Frings (photo). This is the former Germany midfielder's first head coaching job. Schalke forward Sidney Sam has joined on loan but with a tough run of games including Cologne, Dortmund and Hoffenheim, the Lillies need a miracle.