The second half of the 2015-16 Bundesliga campaign kicks off on Friday as Hamburg host league leaders Bayern Munich at the Volksparkstadion. Nine places and 24 points separate the two contestants in the table, but form is of little consideration following a break of just under five weeks. Bayern played just one warm-up friendly match, Saturday's friendly against Karlsruhe. With fatigue and injuries having taken their toll on the club's post-winter break performance over the last few years, the German champions have kept their workload light this January. As a result of their lack of match practice, Bayern looked sluggish and lost the game 2-1. They'll need a quick turnaround if they are to beat Hamburg. On the bright side, Bayern welcome several key players back into the fray as they begin the second half of the campaign. Among others, wing duo Douglas Costa and Arjen Robben will be back in the running for starting spots, a troubling reality for the Hamburg defense. Hamburg were more active with test matches, taking on Young Boys, Erfurt and Ajax. But the northern side didn't manage to build confidence heading into the second half of the season—they lost all three games, a cause for concern. Nonetheless, the management at HSV was convinced enough in their team's success to extend Bruno Labbadia's contract last week, and the trainer will apparently stay at the Volksparkstadion for the foreseeable future. Form during friendly matches will prove immaterial once the league resumes, though, and the side that settles back into competitive play will likely have the upper hand on Friday.
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