Dreams of Beating Bayern Return with Bundesliga Season

As usual Bayern start as favorites to collect a third successive crown and 21st title overall, but the summer departure of German international captain Michael Ballack to English champions Chelsea has given their rivals renewed hope.

Without Ballack Bayern collapsed to a 2-0 defeat in Saturday's League Cup final against Werder Bremen and then lost an exhibition match 3-0 to second division 1860 Munich on Wednesday.

"Nothing happened on offense or defense," said Bayern and France defender Willy Sagnol. "It was a catastrophe."

Manager Felix Magath said his players are still drained after this summer's World Cup where 10 Bayern players -- significantly more than any of their Bundesliga rivals -- were actively involved.

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"We always said we would have problems at the start of the season as a result of the World Cup," Magath said, adding that the team knows what it needs to do to improve. "We are shooting too few goals -- we have to change that by Friday."

Bayern will be looking for new acquisition Lukas Podolski, who cost Munich 10 million euros ($12.9 million) to take on goal scoring duties while other newcomer Daniel van Buyten will shore up the defense in their Bayern debuts on Friday.

Even as Dortmund's new signings of Swiss striker Alexander Frei and Paraguayan star Nelson Valdez reach top fitness and captain Christian Wörns still serving a bench sentence from last season, coach Bert van Marwijk said he is not concerned about the state of his team

"We can go to Munich without being afraid," he said. "We absolutely have a chance and want to get some points."

Neither side left with much time to prepare

After nursing a knee injury, Roman Weidenfeller is back between the posts for Dortmund and will be faced with the task of blocking the Bayern offense of Podolski and Roy Makaay, who have been running into each other in pre-season training, with an defense that hasn't had much time to play together.

"Unfortunately, we haven't had a lot of time to gel together, but the same can be said for Bayern," Weidenfeller said.

Easier start for other perennial contenders

Schalke 04 host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday and last season's runners-up Bremen can scrutinize Bayern ahead of their opening game against Hanover on Sunday.

With German international striker Miroslav Klose -- golden boot winner at the World Cup and recently voted German player of the year -- leading the attack Bremen appear best-equipped to challenge Bayern and in Thomas Schaaf they have a manager who knows how to topple the giants having done it in 2004.

"Werder have the biggest potential in the Bundesliga," said German international Torsten Frings.

"There is no better team in the league and I do not think the gap to Bayern was ever as big as some say."

Hamburg open their campaign against Bielefeld on Saturday aiming to build on last season when they surprised all by finishing third.

Selling defensive pillar van Buyten to Bayern will not help, but his 20-year-old replacement Vincent Kompany, an 8 million euro capture from Anderlecht, remains confident.

"We want to establish ourselves near the top," Belgian international Kompany said "My target is to be first at the end of the season."