ESPNsoccernet: Europe

The 2009/10 Bundesliga season will commence on August 7 with defending champions Wolfsburg hosting their new coach Armin Veh's former side Stuttgart at the VW-Arena.

Veh was sacked as coach of Stuttgart last November and replaced by Markus Babbel, who led the Swabians to third place in the Bundesliga last season.

"It will be a very special game for me, having led Stuttgart to the title in 2007 and many of the players from then are still there now," said Veh.

Louis van Gaal's first match in charge of Bayern Munich will be a trip to one of last season's sensations Hoffenheim.

Borussia Dortmund host Cologne, Eintracht Frankfurt travel to Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin meet Hannover at the Olympiastadion.

Meanwhile, Bundesliga newcomers Freiburg welcome Hamburg to the Breisgau, Mainz host Bayer Leverkusen and Nurnberg start at home to Schalke, who will be one of the favourites for the title next season under their new manager Felix Magath.

Finally, two of last season's strugglers Bochum and Borussia Monchengladbach lock horns at the Ruhr Stadion.

Next season sees a slight alteration to the Bundesliga weekend with one game now being played on a Saturday evening at 1830 while the two Sunday matches will no longer take place simultaneously. Instead, one will kick-off at 1530 and the other following at 1730.