Champions Bayern kick off title defence against Gladbach

Posted Saturday, June 22, 2013 by YAHOO Sport

Treble-winning Bayern Munich will launch their Bundesliga title defence with a home game against Borussia Moenchengladbach when the new season gets underway on Aug. 9.

The all-conquering Bavarians, who also won the German Cup and the Champions League last season, will have former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola on the bench, the successor of Jupp Heynckes, when they take on the five-time German champions.

"This is a classic," German league (DFL) managing director Andreas Rettig told reporters on Friday. "It is an attractive encounter and we look forward to another 611 attractive games."

Champions League and Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund, who last season again topped the global soccer attendance list with an average of 80,534 fans per game, travel to Augsburg.

Fellow Champions League competitors Bayer Leverkusen host Freiburg.

Schalke 04, who grabbed the Champions League qualifying round spot with a fourth-place finish, entertain Hamburg SV, the only team that has played continuously in the Bundesliga since its start in 1963.

Newcomers Hertha Berlin host Eintracht Frankfurt and Eintracht Braunschweig take on Werder Bremen.