Bundesliga 2022-23 season preview - Everything you need to know ahead of the new German football season

On Friday, football fans around the world will hear the familiar hymn of the Bundesliga once again, when champions Bayern Munich meet Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt to start the 2022-23 season. Coaches have swapped dugouts, players have departed, others have arrived with much fanfare, and the question of whether Bayern can be challenged for the title this year remains controversial.

Before the action gets underway, though, let's look back at what you might've missed since the 2021-22 campaign came to a close in May, and dissect some of the biggest storylines worth following as the 2022-23 season begins to unfold.

Jump to: Better Bayern? | Talents remain | Coaching carousel | Who can stop Bayern? | Cinderella stories | Managing the schedule | What are the Americans up to?

A disgruntled striker dominated the first few weeks of this summer, as Robert Lewandowski did not hide his intention to leave Bayern Munich. While Bayern and Barcelona negotiated a deal behind closed doors, fans were worried about the record champions' prospects for the upcoming season. No glances at the history books are required to deduce how important Lewandowski had been to Bayern in recent years. He scored 98 goals in the past two seasons alone and was especially crucial as the team's rescuing anchor if things didn't go their way.

While Lewandowski eventually exited in July, Bayern's hierarchy used that time to secure deals for the immediate future. With the signing of Sadio Mane, the German champions once again scored a real steal in the transfer market. Mane has been one of the Premier League's most exciting players for almost a decade. Without the Senegal international, Liverpool wouldn't have been as successful as they were