Bayern Munich to play Werder Bremen in Bundesliga season opener

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich will start its title defense at Werder Bremen in the opening game of the new Bundesliga season. The game on August 18 will be the 113th time that Bayern and Bremen have met in the Bundesliga. It is most frequent fixture between two clubs since the league began in 1963. Borussia Dortmund starts its new campaign at home to Cologne on either August 19 or 20. That same weekend, newly promoted Heidenheim’s first-ever top-division game will be at Wolfsburg and Darmstadt returns to the Bundesliga with a visit to its local rival Eintracht Frankfurt.