Prospects for Bundesliga clubs for the 2005-06 season (last season's positions in parentheses):

　　ARMINIA BIELEFELD (13)

　　Coach: Thomas von Heesen

　　Bielefeld did well to stay out of relegation trouble last season but have lost several key players, including South Africa striker Delron Buckley and Germany defender Patrick Owomoyela. Coach Uwe Rapolder also decided to leave, rather than face another rebuilding programme, and successor Thomas von Heesen has a huge task to keep the club in the top flight.

　　BAYER LEVERKUSEN (6)

　　Coach: Klaus Augenthaler

　　Leverkusen did not quite have the firepower to compete in the Champions League and Bundesliga last season. They do not have the European Cup to worry about this time and Klaus Augenthaler should be capable of improving on sixth place, if not quite challenging for the title. The former Bayern Munich player has had little money to spend, with Brazilian defender Athirson the one significant acquisition, but he does have a fine group of young players coming through and the strike partnership of Dimitar Berbatov and Andriy Voronin remains one of real quality.　

　　BAYERN MUNICH (1)

　　Coach: Felix Magath

　　Bayern won the title by 14 points over Schalke 04 last season but the first campaign in their spectacular new stadium is likely to prove a lot more demanding. Player of the Year Michael Ballack has yet to sign a new contract, and could leave on a free transfer in 2006, but at least Felix Magath has plenty of other options in midfield.

　　There is less strength in the rest of the squad though following a clear out. Strikers Roy Makaay and Claudio Pizarro will need to stay fit and in form all season. French centre-back Valerien Ismael must also form a solid partnership with cool Brazilian Lucio if Bayern are to repeat last year's success and mount a Champions League challenge.

　　BORUSSIA DORTMUND (7)

　　Coach: Bert van Marwijk

　　Financial problems left Dortmund on the brink of bankruptcy last season. For a long time they also looked in danger of relegation before a remarkable surge after the winter break took them up to a more than respectable finishing position.

　　This season will be about stabilisation, on and off the field.

　　Brazilian forward Ewerthon has been sold to Real Zaragoza but the signing of Delron Buckley to play up font with Jan Koller looks a very astute piece of business. If midfielders Tomas Rosicky and Florian Kringe maintain the form they showed early in 2005 Dortmund should be challenging for Europe.　

　　BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH (15)

　　Coach: Horst Koeppel

　　Horst Koeppel, who replaced Dick Advocaat in April and managed to stave off relegation by a whisker, will continue in the top job for what is likely to be another difficult season. Borussia bought players seemingly at random last term in a desperate bid to spend their way out of trouble. American keeper Kasey Keller was one of the few who made the grade and his presence will again give the side a large measure of security.

　　COLOGNE (1, division 2)

　　Coach: Uwe Rapolder

　　Cologne's promotion brings Lukas Podolski back to the top flight and much will be expected of the explosive 20-year-old striker, who looked Germany's best player in the Confederations Cup and should lead their attack at the World Cup next year. Cologne have a wily coach in Uwe Rapolder, who did so well at Bielefeld last term, and if Podolski maintains the form that brought him 24 goals in last season's promotion campaign they should stay out of trouble fairly comfortably.

　　MSV DUISBURG (2, division 2)

　　Coach: Norbert Meier

　　Duisburg have signed seven new players on free transfers and shelled out a million euros ($1.21 million) for Slovenian striker Klemen Lavric from Dynamo Dresden to help them on their return to the top flight. Lavric scored 17 goals in the second division for modest Dresden and Duisburg's survival hopes are likely to depend on how well he adjusts to the step up in class.

　　EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (3, division 2)

　　Coach: Friedhelm Funkel

　　Arie van Lent scored 16 goals to lead Eintracht Frankfurt's promotion chase but the former Borussia Moenchengladbach striker, who turns 35 at the end of August, is unlikely to find first division defences so accommodating and Frankfurt may well find their reputation as one of Germany's yo-yo sides confirmed. 　

　　HAMBURG SV (8)

　　Coach: Thomas Doll

　　Hamburg harboured hopes of a Champions League place for much of last season before a costly late slump. Thomas Doll has even more talent in his squad after a 5.1 million euros swoop for Dutch international midfielder Rafael van der Vaart and an improvement on last year's finish seems assured. 　

　　HANOVER 96 (10)

　　Coach: Ewald Lienen

　　Hanover stayed well clear of danger last season, despite an appalling home record at their new World Cup stadium after its inauguration at the turn of the year.

　　Ewald Lienen has strengthened the squad over the close season, adding German internationals Thomas Brdaric and Hanno Balitsch and Iran's Vahid Hashemian to boost the attack.

　　In Robert Enke, Hanover also have arguably the best of a crop of very good goalkeepers in Germany and this looks set to be an even better year for the club.

　　HERTHA BERLIN (4)

　　Coach: Falko Goetz

　　Hertha have had no money to spend in the transfer market but that should not worry Falko Goetz unduly as there is already enough quality in the squad to make a title bid.

　　From Arne Friedrich in defence, through Yildiray Basturk in midfield to Marcelinho up front, Hertha have one of most exciting teams in the league and a Champions League place must be the minimum target. 　

　　KAISERSLAUTERN (12)

　　Coach: Michael Henke

　　Kaiserslautern have a new coach in Michael Henke, a former assistant at Bayern Munich, and a young team. Mid-table once again looks about the best they can hope for.

　　FSV MAINZ (11)

　　Coach: Juergen Klopp

　　The return of Michael Thurk to lead the forward line midway through last season gave Mainz the boost they needed to stay well clear of the drop zone. Thurk scored six goals in 13 games and Juergen Klopp is likely to play him as part of a three-man forward line, along with Benjamin Auer and Fabian Gerber. There is less quality in defence and it will be interesting to see if the side's fearless attitude can keep them safe once again. 　

　　NUREMBERG (14)

　　Coach: Wolfgang Wolf

　　Marek Mintal's 24 goals made him top scorer in the league last season and kept Nuremberg away from relegation. If the Slovakian forward finds the same prolific form, Nuremberg will likely repeat the trick. If not, it looks like being a very difficult campaign for the Bavarians. 　　　

　　SCHALKE 04 (2)

　　Coach: Ralf Rangnick

　　A poor start to the season and a nervous run-in cost Schalke any chance of the title last season but Ralf Rangnick has added significantly to his squad and they should be capable of a more consistent challenge to Bayern plus a good Champions League run.

　　Brazilian striker Ailton has gone but Germany's Kevin Kuranyi has come in to take his place and Danish forward Soren Larsen was signed on a four-year contract on Monday. Rangnick has also brought in two classy midfielders -- Germany's Fabian Ernst and Bosnian Zlatan Bajramovic. 　

　　VfB STUTTGART (5)

　　Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni

　　Italian coach Trapattoni has brought a new mood of optimism after Stuttgart faded badly last season under Matthias Sammer.

　　Philipp Lahm, Kevin Kuranyi and Alexander Hleb have all left but the club have managed to find good quality replacements for all three in Thomas Hitzlsperger and the Danish international duo of Jon Dahl Tomasson and Jesper Gronkjaer.

　　Trapattoni won the Bundesliga during his second spell with Bayern in 1997. It would be unfair to expect another title this season but he could at least give his old club a scare. 　

　　WERDER BREMEN (3)

　　Coach: Thomas Schaaf

　　Werder, who slipped to third last season after winning the double in 2004, have been forced into an extensive rebuilding job after the departure of Fabian Ernst, Valerien Ismael, Ludovic Magnin and Paul Stalteri -- three on free transfers.

　　German internationals Torsten Frings and Patrick Owomoyela are solid replacements but the squad looks short of quality and if they make it through their Champions League qualifier against Basel they may struggle to meet the demands of a long season.

　　VfL WOLFSBURG (9)

　　Coach: Holger Fach

　　Wolfsburg led the league for much of the first half of last season before logic returned and they slipped down the table to finish ninth.

　　Bulgarian midfielder Martin Petrov has gone but they have kept Argentine playmaker Andres d'Alessandro and new coach Holger Fach should be confident of another mid-table finish.