The prelude to the 2010/11 Bundesliga season takes place this weekend with the first round of the DFB-Pokal and the first chance to see the top 18 clubs in German football in serious competitive action.

However, it is also the first chance for the top flight teams to assess how much work they still have to do before the Bundesliga commences on August 20.

Cup holders Bayern Munich should not have too many concerns as they face the lowest-ranked club in the draw in Germania Windeck.

As is tradition, all top-flight teams will play away from home and Bayern face a trip to Cologne’s Mungersdorfer Stadion on Monday evening, when the first round will be concluded with Schalke’s trip to Aalen.

The first games take place tonight with Eintracht Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern both in action at Wilhelmshaven and Osnabruck.

Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart take to the field tomorrow against Pirmasens, Wacker Burghausen and Babelsberg respectively while Hannover have a tricky trip to Elversberg and Borussia Moenchengladbach head to Erzgebirge Aue.

Last year’s beaten finalists Werder Bremen face Rot Weiss Ahlen, who were relegated to the third division last season.

Sunday sees Nurnberg play Trier and Mainz go to Berliner AK.

Hamburg, who were one of the first Bundesliga teams to fall last season when they were beaten by Osnabruck in the second round, should not have too many problems against fifth division side Torgelower Greif.

Finally, Steve McClaren’s first challenge as coach of Wolfsburg is a trip to fourth division side Munster.

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