Bayern Munich start their latest title defence as overwhelming odds-on favourites to win the Bundesliga again - so what would constitute success this season? The German side are as short as 1-7 odds with bookmakers after winning 13 of the past 14 titles - and are chasing a hat-trick of successes. They host Stuttgart on Friday (19:30 BST) in a game you can watch live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Vincent Kompany's side already have a win against rivals Borussia Dortmund under their belt after winning the German Super Cup 2-1 last weekend.

England captain Harry Kane will be looking to win his fourth Bundesliga Golden Boot in four seasons... and perhaps even more."The targets at Bayern are always set as high as possible, which means winning the Bundesliga, winning the cup, winning the Champions League and perhaps even winning every single match," said Kompany this summer. BBC Sport has a look at what Bayern and Kane can hope for this season - and what is new. Winning the Bundesliga title is more of an expectation than a cause for huge celebration at the Allianz Arena.

Since 2012 only once have they not been champions - when Bayer Leverkusen went unbeaten all season domestically in 2023-24. In Kompany's two seasons at Bayern, since leaving Burnley, they have finished 13 and 16 points clear at the top. Last season the German double winners were one of Europe's biggest entertainers, scoring 184 goals in all competitions.

They scored a record 122 goals in the Bundesliga and 43 in the Champions League, where they fell to Paris St-Germain 6-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Since this era of dominance started with the 2012-13 Treble, including the Champions League, they have only won Europe's top trophy once since then - in 2020. But German football writer Constantin Eckner says Kompany does "not necessarily" need to win it this season. "Bayern's hierarchy have been very happy with him and the progress of the team," said Eckner. "As long as they compete among the top four in Europe, they are content to have Kompany.

He has brought back a notion of stability to Bayern's managerial post. "Before that, it was quite the revolving door policy, as they had seven managers in eight years." The Belgian has been a revelation, and the feeling is he could become one of the best managers in the world. "One could argue he is already among the best, though games like the one at Paris St-Germain have shown that he still has a few things to learn." When Kane joined Bayern on a four-year deal in 2022 from Tottenham there was a feeling, certainly in England, that he might return home at the end of that deal. Kane had never won a trophy during his time at Tottenham, or with England, so the pull of going to a team who win trophies nearly every year was strong. But many also thought after bagging a few medals he would perhaps try to break the Premier League goalscoring record (sitting 47 behind Alan Shearer).

In fact he admitted as much last week, saying: "When I first left, for sure it was something I thought - I would definitely be coming back. That itch isn't there as much anymore." The 33-year-old has loved his time at Bayern and says he is ready to begin discussions over extending that deal. That love is very much mutual.

Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness has called Kane "the best signing we've ever made". This is a club who have had some legendary goalscorers in Gerd Muller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Robert Lewandowski. Kane scored 61 goals in 51 club matches last season, the most a Bayern player has ever struck in one campaign.

That took his total to 146 goals - plus 33 assists - in 147 games for Bayern. He won the European Shoe in 2024 and 2026 and 'just' the regular Bundesliga Golden Boot in 2025. He also scored all three goals in the German Cup final win over Stuttgart to complete the 2026 double."There are many fans who believe he could win the Ballon d'Or," said Eckner."Bayern are lobbying for it [and it is] also a sign towards the much ...