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| It’s usually a two-horse race in the Bundesliga, but with Leipzig now in the mix, anything is possible. |
With the German Bundesliga on the horizon, it will be well worth it to have a small peek into the up and coming season. The frontrunners for the title is undoubtedly Bayer Munich, with the Bavarians laying claim to the league for the past five seasons. Borussia Dortmund will be Bayern Munich’s main title-rivals as well as last season’s surprise contenders Leipzig. There’s 34 matchday’s to go but for now, let’s take a look at what lies ahead.
To Win Outright
Bayern Munich 1/7 | Borussia Dortmund 7/1 | Leipzig 20/1 | Schalke 66/1 | Bayer Leverkusen 66/1
The Contenders
Bayern Munich
Season after season Bayern Munich go from strength to strength. The Bavarian giants clinched their fifth consecutive Bundesliga title last term and will be hopeful of making it six on the spin. After Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso retired from club football last season, there will be big boots to fill in midfield and the backline. Corentin Tolisso was brought in from French Ligue 1 side Lyon to solidify the centre of the park and with Douglas Costa leaving on loan to Juventus, Bayern have brought in Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez. The Bavarians are the team to beat but after Leipzig’s surprise title-challenge, the champions will take no prisoners.
Borussia Dortmund
The team that wears the famous black and yellow colours, Dortmund, will be determined to make a genuine run-in for the title after a disappointing 2016/17 campaign. They would have been disappointed after making it to the DFB-Pokal final for a third straight season but suffering defeat to Bayern Munich on penalties. Dortmund have a team capable of keeping the champions on their toes – it’s just a matter of consistency and depth. New manager Peter Bosz was announced as the man to take the club forward in June after guiding Ajax to the UEFA Europa League final. The former Dutch midfielder has experience with youth and will embrace Dortmund’s up and coming starlets. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang stole the show last season with his 31 league goals, claiming the top goal scorer award ahead of Robert Lewondowski. There has been plenty of transfer speculation around the Gabonese star forward but it looks as though he will be staying put for another season. If Dortmund are to bag a ninth Bundesliga title, they will need Aubameyang to be at his very best.
Leipzig
Nobody expected Leipzig to give Bayern Munich solid competition for the title but the minnows put on their big boy pants and fought their way throughout the campaign. A second-placed finish would have motivated the Red Bulls to go one better this season but will know Bayern and Dortmund stand in their way. They have strengthened the team with a number of signings but only time will tell whether these players add to the quality or the numbers. Leipzig will be up around the summit this term but just like last season, they are likely to fall short.
Prediction: Bayern Munich (1/7)
There is very little value on Bayern Munich making it six league titles on the spin at 1/7 but it might be worth taking should you be adding it to a multiple. None of the top Bundesliga sides have made too many changes to their teams, so we can expect a similar campaign compared to last term’s.
Written by Aaron Crowie