For the sixth time in a row, Bayern Munich will aim to defend their title as the 2018/19 German Bundesliga season starts on Friday 24th August, 2018 at the Allianz Arena with the champions hosting TSG Hoffenheim in the opening game of the new season. FC Hollywood dominated the league last season winning with a massive 21 points advantage over second place Schalke 04. Die Roten are overwhelming favorites will need to avoid complacency as the chasing pack will hope to provide stiffer competition to Nico Kovac’s team.
As we count down to the new season, here is our preview of the 2018/19 season.
BAYERN MUNICH
Die Bayern have won the last six Bundesliga titles in a row and are overwhelming favorites for the title this season. Bayern have the strongest squad in the country and continue to acquire the best players to improve their team and dominate in the league. Nico Kovac is the new man to lead the Bavarians with Juup Heynckes stepping down after his rescue mission last season; the minimum expectation is to retain the Salad tray trophy. Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka are the latest additions to the Bundesliga champions’ team; Gnabry is returning from his successful loan spell at Hoffenheim while Goretzka was signed as a free agent after his contract with Schalke expired in June. Keeping goal machine Robert Lewandowski at Bayern was the first objective for Kovac and he seem to have accomplished that. The Polish captain responded by scoring a hat-trick in the DFL Super Cup to reestablish himself after a miserable summer at the World Cup. Niko Kovac can joined the exclusive group of six men (Franz Beckenbauer, Helmut Benthaus, Juup Heynckes, Felix Magath, Thomas Schaaf, Matthias Sammer) who have won the Bundesliga as a player and coach. It is difficult to see any team wrestling the title of Bayern.
SCHALKE 04
The Royal Blues finished as runners-up last season; their strong defensive displays throughout the campaign was the platform for such a remarkable achievement. Domenico Tedesco team conceded 37 goals in the Bundesliga last season and have strengthen their back line further with the arrival of Salif Sane from Hannover 96 this summer. Suat Serdar and Mark Uth are some of the key name signings to join The Miners who will be competing in the Champions League and will hope to close the 21 points gap between them and Bayern this season. The loss of versatile midfielder Leon Goretzka to Bayern and Max Meyer will hurt but the big question is how Die Königsblauen combine Champions League football and competing effectively in the league. A top-four finish will be seen as a successful campaig for Schalke.
TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM
31-year old manager Julian Nagelsmann is likely to leave at the end of the season but he would be hope to depart on a high. Against all odds, Die Kraichgauer finished third last season above Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen which is a demonstration of Nagelsmann coaching talent. Hoffenheim have lost two key players; Serge Gnabry returned to his parent club while Mark Uth has moved to Schalke. However, the club has tried to replaced them with Ishak Belfodil, Vicenzo Grifo and Leonardo Bittencourt. It will be interesting to see how they cope in all three competitions they would be challenging for this season. Another headache for Nagelsmann is the long term absence of Kerem Demirbray’s due to injury. This is setback will surely disrupt Hoffenheim’s plan but the valuable experience gained by Andrej Kramaric during the FIFA World Cup should help as he would be expected to lead the line during Champions League games. Whatever success achieved lately at Hoffenheim is down to one man; Julian Nagelsmann and his leadership qualities which means a top-six finish is the minimum expectation at Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena now.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND
BVB have found stability hard to come by since Jurgen Klopp left the club at the end of 2014/15 season. Thomas Tuchel, Peter Bozs and Peter Stoger have been in charge in the last three seasons and now, we have a new face. Lucien Favre, the former Nice coach has been hired to refocus the ship and close the gap between Dortmund and Bayern. Can former Monchengladbach coach could be the right man to get them back on track? The Swiss manager has wasted no time in delving into the transfer market to improve his squad; Axel Witsel, Achraf Hakimi, Abdou Diallo and Thomas Delaney are some of the high profile names to arrive at Signal Iduna Park. However, the club still needs a proper striker to replace free scoring Aubameyang who left the club in January. The expectation from The Yellow and Black passionate crowd is to see Mario Gotze recapture his best form and Captain Marco Reus stay injury free; this could also be a big season for American starlet Christian Pulisic. Dortmund have been tipped as Bayern’s main challenger but the immediate concern is reclaim dominance in Ruhr. A top-four finish will be the minimum for Lucien Favre and his team.
OTHERS
Bayer Leverkusen missed out on Champions League football on goal difference last season but have set their sight on ensuring a top-four finish this season. Die Werkself counterattacking style suits their forward players; keeping the attacking quartet of Brandt, Bailey, Havertz and Volland is important for this season ambition. RB Leipzig found it difficult to replicate 2016/17 runners up campaign last season but they managed a top-six finish which means they have what it takes to compete at the upper end. Naby Keita departure leaves them with a big hole to fill in midfield but Timo Werner needs a better campaign than the last one to lead RBL attack and Emil Forsberg should provide offensive creativity needed. The amazing work done by Tayfun Korkut in pulling VfB Stuttgart out of the relegation waters and finishing seventh has got to be the outstanding achievement in the Bundesliga last season. Can he replicate the same? That’s the million euro question for many are asking but for Die Schwaben fans, this is a dream and long may it continue. World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard will need to keep his Les Blues mundial form for the entire season to ensure his club has a respectable campaign. Eintract Frankfurt fans can be forgiven if they are still celebrating their first title in 30 years but DFL Super Cup defeat is a stark reminder of reality. Die Adler have a new manager who should have a clear idea of the enormous responsibility at hand as he combines Bundesliga duties with Europa league commitment.
VfL Wolfsburg beat the drop thanks to a two-legged victory over Holstein Kiel to keep their record as one of the few teams never to be relegated from the Bundesliga. Die Wolfie fans would have experienced enough agony not to wish for a repeat of last season. It is difficult to see where Wolfsburg goals will come from after the sale of their top scorer Daniel Davidi; Bruno Labbadia has his work cut out even before the season starts. Fortuna Dusseldorf are back in the Bundesliga five years after their last stint and will hope to maintain the trend set by newly promoted sides by staying up in the division. The Bundesliga 2 champions have had an excellent summer bringing in players who have Bundesliga experience which would help them compete at this level. Can same be said for Bundesliga 2 runners up Nurnberg who face a big battle to stay in this division after earning promotion last season. They have not been able to add the required quality to their squad, most of their summer arrivals at Nurnberg are not expected to break into the starting XI which means the core of the team that earned promotion will be the players on parade in the Bundesliga. Keeping Der Ruhmreiche in the top division will be a bigger achievement for Michael Kollner than bringing them up.
The 2018/19 Bundesliga season should provide exciting football and packed grounds across the country. The German Klassier, Ruhr derby and several other derbies are some of the big games to look forward to. The entire 2018/19 German Bundesliga game odds are available on our sports book. Visit Babaijebu.ng and place your bet for all Bundesliga and DFB Pokal games.