European Football Tipsheet: The Bundesliga is back

The Bundesliga comes out of hibernation this weekend and an exciting race for the Champions League resumes. James Horncastle has got you covered...

Tricky restart for Bayern

The Rückrunde in the Bundesliga kicks off with a bang on Friday night as champions and league leaders Bayern Munich hit the autobahn headed for Leverkusen. Nine points clear at the top of the table, a sixth straight Meisterschale is now but a foregone conclusion.

While their position is very much in line with what you would expect it is nonetheless remarkable that Bayern are so far ahead considering the crisis they found themselves in back in September. Leverkusen are also enjoying a fine season and appear well-positioned to return to the Champions League next season.

Fourth going into the winter break, this particular race is where the most interest is to be found in Germany at the moment. Two points are all that separate Schalke in second from Borussia Mönchengladbach in sixth. Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim aren't out of it either although the loss of Sandro Wagner to Bayern last week must come as a blow.

Friday's game at the BayArena is definitely worth checking out on account of the troubles Bayern have had there in recent years. They haven't won in Leverkusen since Jupp Heynckes was last in charge. A win in this part of North-Rhine Westphalia even eluded Pep Guardiola. Bayern have also failed to score on three of their last four visits and when you factor in Leverkusen's 14-game unbeaten run under Heiko Herrlich there's reason to believe it'll be an event encounter.

Leverkusen Double Chance is 2.08.

Strengthening Schalke

Staying with the Bundesliga, Schalke have been the busiest club in Germany so far this transfer window. Evidently the Miners want to build on what they accomplished in the first half of the season and make absolutely sure of Champions League qualification. Three years is too long for a club of Schalke's size to remain absent from the competition and although they are second at the moment, one defeat might see them drop as far as sixth if results elsewhere don't go their way.

Schalke's attack is principal area in need of improvement. It ranks fourth in the Bundesliga and sporting director Christian Heidel has made it his mission this January to make goals come easier to the team. Germany Under-21 international Cedric Teuchert arrives from second division Nuremberg but the player fans are really excited about is Marko Pjaca, the Croatia international on loan from Juventus.

A serious knee injury held Pjaca back in Turin but if he can rediscover his fitness with regular game-time in Gelsenkirchen, Schalke will surely benefit from his mix of speed, trickery and power. Schalke are in Leipzig on Saturday for what feels like one of a number of upcoming Champions League play-offs.

Fifth placed RB are without a win in four games and looked in need of a break at Christmas. Beaten 3-2 in their last home game by a Hertha Berlin side reduced to 10 men after just seven minutes, incredibly Leipzig were 3-0 down at half-time. Now their batteries are recharged, they should represent another proposition altogether. It promises to be tight. The draw is 3.50.

Madrid in crisis

New year. Same disappointing Real Madrid. Last Sunday's 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo only served to underline Madrid's problems and deepen the sense of crisis around the club. Those who thought a 3-0 defeat in the Clasico before Christmas would help the Spanish and European champions snap out of their malaise were clearly mistaken.

Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Numancia in the Copa del Rey was another underwhelming result even if a 3-0 win in the first leg meant Madrid still comfortably progressed. Zinedine Zidane played all the under-21 talent Madrid have made a strategy of signing in the last couple of years. In the end though you were left agreeing with the school of thought that they're still not ready to make the step up and the squad isn't as deep as it was last season.

This weekend Madrid take on Villarreal at the Bernabeu with only four points separating them in the table. The Yellow Submarine sold star striker Cedric Bakambu to Beijing Guon last week for €44m. Colombian centre-forward Roger Martinez has travelled the other way from Jiangsu Suning. He'll hook up with his compatriot Carlos Bacca although in the meantime Enes Unal, the former Man City prospect, is expected to continue partnering him up front.

Given Madrid's complacency this season, Villarreal will fancy themselves to get something out of their trip to the capital. After all, they've left Chamartin with a point in two of the last three seasons and recently beat high-flying Valencia on the road. Javi Calleja's crew are4.20 on Double Chance.