Fußball-Bundesliga 2008–09

The Fußball-Bundesliga 2008–09 is the 46th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season began on August 15, 2008 with a 2–2 draw between defending champions FC Bayern and Hamburger SV. The last games will be played on May 23, 2009.

Changes from 2007–08

Starting with the 2008–09 season, two-leg relegation playoffs between the third last team of the Bundesliga and the third team of the Second Bundesliga at the end of the regular season will be reintroduced.

Due to the restructuring of European competitions, the third-placed team will now enter UEFA Champions League 2009–10 in a separate qualifying round for non-champions. The fourth-placed team and the winner of the DFB Cup 2008–09 will enter the UEFA Europa League 2009–10 at the fourth (and last) qualifying round; the fifth-placed team qualifies for the third qualifying round. The sixth-placed team will not qualify for European competitions (unless via DFB Cup) as the UEFA Intertoto Cup will not be continued after its final edition 2008.

Team changes

1. FC Nuremberg, Hansa Rostock and MSV Duisburg were relegated to 2. Bundesliga after the end of the 2007–08 campaign. They were replaced by 2. Bundesliga 2007–08 champions Borussia Mönchengladbach, runners-up TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and third-placed team 1. FC Köln.

Team information

Source: http://www.fussballer-des-monats.de

Clean sheets

ee also

*DFB Cup 2008–09
*2. Bundesliga 2008–09
*3rd Liga 2008–09
*List of German football transfers summer 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.dfb.de/ Official site of the DFB] de icon
* [http://www.kicker.de/ Kicker.de] de icon
* [http://www.bundesliga.de/ Official site of the Bundesliga] de icon
* [http://www.bundesliga.de/en/index.php Official site of the Bundesliga] en icon