The three boring weeks of winter vacation are coming to an end. The Bundesliga will return and bring New Year’s fireworks in the first match of 2025, when the 16th begins with Dortmund protecting champions Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park on Friday, January 10.
It’s the launch of another exciting year that will bring yet more thrills, spills and drama up and down the Bundesliga. Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt all made their mark prior to the break and now face the task of reeling in Bayern Munich over the coming five months.
All three have shown in recent times that they can make life more complicated for record champions. Only Leverkusen have already denied Bayern a win twice this season. Giants. And against whom does Bayern open the year 2025?Yes, they go to Borussia Park to see the first Topspiel of the year.
And the action continues to move at high speed after that. A series of midweek matches follows the restart and officially marks the halfway point of the season with matches such as VfB Stuttgart against Leipzig.
We’re then treated to another massive Friday night going into Matchday 18 as Frankfurt host Dortmund, before Leverkusen take on rivals Gladbach on Saturday. The Werkself finally see out January in Leipzig, while Bayern face a tricky trip to Freiburg.
Expect plenty of movement at the bottom end of the table early in the year as teams fight for a place in the race for Europe and potentially further at best.
Obviously, there is also a lot at stake at the back of the table. Bochum and Holstein Kiel want a much later 2025 if they are to have any chance of staying on their feet. Players like Heidenheim and St. Pauli also spent the winter break nervously looking over their shoulders.
There’s excitement everywhere you look in the Bundesliga, and it all resumes very soon!
St. Pauli enjoyed a successful day in Baden-Württemberg, winning in Heidenheim and pulling further away from their downhill rivals.
Stuttgart put on an attacking display as they cruised to a convincing 4-0 victory over Freiburg.
The forward scored twice as Hoffenheim secure a vital three points against Kiel in a proverbial relegation six-pointer.
Football as it’s meant to be
Our applications
Bundesliga App
Fantasy Manager
Powered by
© 2025 DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH