Bayern Munich won their 9th successive Bundesliga during the 2020/2021 season, finishing 13 points clear of RB Leipzig. The big question now is, can anyone stop them from making it ten in a row?

10 IN A ROW FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

Last season, Bayern picked up four trophies throughout the year. They retained their Bundesliga title for the ninth successive year, whilst winning the DFL-Supercup, UEFA Super Cup, and finally the FIFA Club World Cup.

With Flick at the helm, Bayern finished 13 points clear of RB Leipzig in second place and 14 points of rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Lewandowski had another fantastic season in the Bundesliga, finishing top goalscorer with 41 goals a new record for the German league. His side went on to score 99 goals in total, just one shy of the season before. This was to be Flicks last season in charge, with Julian Nagelsmann taking over for this season.

With Betfred, you can get odds of 1/5 that they will retain their crown. It would certainly take a brave man or woman to bet against them.

WHO CAN STOP THEM?

Borussia Dortmund – 5/1

Dortmund were the last team to win the Bundesliga outside of Bayern. Under the management of Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund were regularly challenging Bayern for the title and on two occasions managed to finish 1st. They did however, pick up the DFB Pokal last season.

They have struggled to put up a consistent challenge since then and like many clubs in the Bundesliga, they often struggle to keep hold of their best players. Jadon Sancho has just left the club to join Manchester United, with Piszczek and Schmelzer also leaving. Donyell Malen has come to replace Sancho, who is another young exciting forward and one to look out for.

Their superstar Erling Haaland is still at the club, but this could be his last season, with a release clause of £75 million coming into play at the end of this campaign. Dortmund can push Bayern but will need to pick up some points against the top side as well as not dropping them to the lower teams.

RB Leipzig – 14/1

Leipzig seems to be improving every season and finishing second last season was a good result. Like Dortmund, they struggle to keep hold of their best players and put in a consistent challenge to Bayern over the course of a season.

They have lost their center-half pairing of Upamecano to Bayern and Konate to Liverpool. Angelino has joined on a permanent who had a good year last year, whilst Brian Brobbey and Andre Silva have joined the club.

Ultimate, they do still seem a way off the current champions. Leipzig will be looking at having another decent season in the Champions League alongside maybe winning the DFB-Pokal.

Borussia Mönchengladbach – 50/1

Gladbach struggled in the 20/21 season, finishing four places worse off than the season before in eighth. They last won the Bundesliga in 1977 and realistically it doesn’t look like it will change soon. Their main aim this season, will and should be getting back into a European place in the Bundesliga.

Bayer Leverkusen – 66/1

Last season Leverkusen missed out on the Champions League by nine points but did manage to finish sixth, getting them in the Europa League. Demarai Gray and Leon Bailey have both left to join clubs in the Premier Leauge, so they will need to look at replacing them before the window shuts.

 

RELEGATION BATTLE?

German football uses a unique system to decide its promotion and relegation between its divisions. In many leagues, the top three teams are automatically promoted and the bottom three are relegated. The top two tiers only have two automatic movers between the divisions. A two-legged playoff system is used to determine whether a third club stays up or goes down.

Greuther Furth

Greuther Furth finished second in the Bundesliga 2 last season and were automatically promoted to the top league. They has only been in the Bundesliga once, which was in 2012/13 and finished 18th. They are the favourites to go down this season and we expect them to spend just one year in the top flight. That being said, they have brought in some players from the Bundesliga on loan, who could be a huge help!

Bochum

Bochum finished first in the Bundesliga 2 last season, finishing three points ahead of Greuther Furth. They last played in the Bundesliga in 2010, but have been in the top flight for man years before this. They have also taken a few players from their new league on loan this season.

Arminia Bielefeld

Staying out of the relegation playoff last season, by just two points was Arminia Bielefeld. They have done a huge squad overhaul this summer which could go one of two ways. With them just surviving last season, it’s very possible that they could end up in a relegation playoff this season.

BUNDESLIGA TOP SCORER ODDS

Robert Lewandowski – 8/15

Lewandowski finished top scorer last season, having scored 41 goals in 29 appearances. This was a new record for the Bundesliga and Lewandowski shows no signs of stopping. He scored twice midweek against Dortmund in the Supercup and has one already in the league.

Erling Haaland – 5/2

The Norwegian also had a good year last year with 27 goals. He has got off to a good start this season, scoring two on the opening day. This year though he has no Jadon Sancho, who he had a great partnership with so it’ll be interesting to see how he copes.

Andre Silva – 10/1

The RB Leipzig striker scored 28 goals at his former club Eintracht Frankfurt last season. He got himself a move to a better club and will be hiping for a repeat of last season. He has shown he can do it in the Bundesliga, but was last season just a fluke?

What other players should you look out for?

Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund

Bellingham signed for Dortmund from Birmingham City last season in a transfer deal worth £25 million, this made him the world’s most expensive 17-year-old. He was in the England squad at this summers European Championship and seems to be impressing more and more with each game.

Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich

The 18-year-old featured mostly off the bench last season, with six goals and one assist for the champions. He is a very exciting player who we expect to see in the starting lineup a lot more this season. Musiala is now in the German national team and is very highly rated.

Donyell Malen – Borussia Dortmund

Malen joined the club this summer from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of around €34 million. He got 27 goals in all competitions last season and joins Dortmund with big boots to fill. He has lots of pace and an eye for goal, so he should be a very entertaining player to watch.

* Odds listed are with Betfred unless stated.