The Bundesliga begins again on Friday – weather permitting – after a winter break which has seen envious glances from across Europe directed in Germany's direction.

Those countries without a mid-season pause might well be cursing the fact they don't have a recess later in the year. Matches postponed by snow and ice could pile up, bringing fixture congestion - and perhaps an overworked contingent of players heading to this summer's World Cup.

Players in Germany, however, could show up in South Africa feeling refreshed due to their hibernation. Just how rested they may be will become evident on Friday when the second half of the season kicks off with Bayern Munich taking on Hoffenheim at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern look to regain their familiar place - on top

Bayern have the chance to go top for the first time since the end of the 2008 season with a win, but it could be short-lived. League leaders Leverkusen host Mainz on Saturday, and a victory would be enough to return them to first place. Bayern, in third place on 33 points, are two behind the undefeated leaders and one point behind second-placed Schalke.

Bayern's task has been made harder by the news that playmaker Franck Ribery will again be unavailable due to inflammation in his toes. The Frenchman, now fully recovered from a knee injury which has kept him out of training for two months, has played a full 90 minutes in just two matches this season, making an appearance in only nine of Bayern's 26 competitive games.

Coach Louis van Gaal will be boosted, however, by reports that flying Dutchman Arjen Robben's twisted ankle, suffered in training, is not as bad as first thought and the winger is expected to play.

Bayern ended the first half of the season strongly after an indifferent start and Leverkusen and Schalke, who play relegation-threatened Nuremberg on Sunday, will be looking nervously over their shoulders as the season's final half begins.

Four points separate top five teams

In a bid to toughen-up his players for the final push towards a title bid, Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes rejected such far-flung travel destinations as Dubai during the winter break. He kept his players in snowy Germany, grinding out training sessions in freezing temperatures.

The club, dubbed "Never-kusen" due to its recurring habit of bottling it when involved in a championship struggle, will be hoping that an unbeaten first half of the season can be sustained, starting with three points against Mainz.

Schalke, meanwhile, will be hoping that a 10-meter-long tear in the roof over the main stand at the Veltins Arena will not lead to their Sunday game being postponed.

Felix Magath's side will want to get their momentum going again after the break and introduce their several winter signings to the title fight as soon as possible.

The Gelsenkirchen side have been the most active of the Bundesliga teams in the transfer window, snapping up Nuremburg midfielder Peer Kluge, Bayern midfielder Alexander Baumjohann and Brazilian striker Edu from Korean side Suwon Blue Wings, as well as three more young players who are likely to start their Schalke careers in the reserves.

Moreover, Schalke are also welcoming back Ze Roberto (the younger). The attacking midfielder failed in his first stint in Gelsenkirchen but he helped lead Flamengo to the 2009 Brazilian league title while on loan there, and Magath has made no secret that he thinks the 29-year-old will make an impact this time around.

Fourth place Hamburg will be looking to capitalize on potential slip-ups above them to march into the top three with victory over Freiburg this weekend. Coach Bruno Labbadia is unlikely to have influential midfielder Ze Roberto (the elder) for the match, but at least he has him on the premises.

The Brazilian, who is recovering from ankle surgery in November, missed the first nine days of Hamburg's pre-season training camp without giving an explanation, getting a fine for his troubles. The mini-controversy is unlikely to disrupt Hamburg's resurgence, however, which has taken them to within four points of the top slot.

Werder Bremen, when they were last seen on the pitch in December, seemed to be going in the opposite direction. Thomas Schaaf's team tumbled down to sixth place before the break, seven points off the summit. The "fish heads" will be looking to get back on track with a win in Frankfurt on Saturday when they take on mid-table Eintracht.

Relegation scrap reaches up to 12th place

At the other end of the table, the relegation battle begins again in earnest with bottom-placed Hertha Berlin resuming their fight to avoid the drop against Hanover 96.

Hertha coach Friedhelm Funkel will be hoping that his new additions can help his team's cause to climb out of the sub-basement. Greek striker Theofanis Gekas has joined on loan from Leverkusen, Levan Kobiashvili is in from Schalke and Roman Hubnik arrived in the capital on loan from FC Moscow over the break. With Berlin staring down the barrel of seemingly certain relegation with only six points from 17 games, these new signings will have to make an immediate and dramatic impact to help save Hertha.

Nuremberg, six points ahead of Berlin in the second-from-bottom slot, suffered four straight defeats before the break and face a tough task away to Schalke this weekend. New coach Dieter Hecking has also looked to bring in new personnel before the transfer window closes in a bid to escape the drop. Defender Breno and midfielder Andreas Ottl, fringe players at Bayern Munich, have made their way to The Club on loan in search of playing time, and rumor has it that Mickael Tavares, last seen deep down Hamburg's bench, may be ready to do the same.

Bochum inhabit the relegation spot as the action restarts, and an uninspiring season to date suggests the notorious yo-yo club are ready for another trip down. With just four wins from the first 17 matches, Heiko Herrlich's side are in dire straits. Only their goal average is something to be positive about – they seem to be able to score one goal for every two they concede. (It could be worse.) With a trip to mid-table dullards Borussia Moenchengladbach planned for Saturday, Bochum may hope to reverse this current trend.

Stuttgart, Cologne totter nervously on the brink

Stuttgart will be hoping their recovery under new coach Christian Gross is not just a flash in the pre-break pan as they host reigning champions Wolfsburg on Saturday. The Wolves have been struggling of late so they could be there for Stuttgart's taking. However, VfB are equal on points with Bochum for a reason and the new dawn could be exposed as a false one should Armin Veh's return to Stuttgart be an unhappy one for his former team.

FC Cologne take on fifth-placed Dortmund on Sunday with a little breathing space between them and the drop-zone. But with Dortmund enjoying something of a renaissance under coach Juergen Klopp, Cologne could find their campaign resuming in a less than happy mood.

Their concerns will not be eased by news that prodigal son Lukas Podolski could miss out as he overcomes a back problem. However Podolski, who is in his second spell with the club after an unhappy time at Bayern Munich, may not be that sorely missed. Despite arriving back from Bayern for 10 million euros, Podolski has only hit the target once this season. He's not alone in goal-shyness, however. Cologne has only managed to score ten goals in the season's first 17 matches.

Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Matt Hermann