Check out the latest odds on the title, top-four, relegation, and golden boot favorites as the 2020/21 Bundesliga season begins this weekend.
An 83-day wait ends on Friday as reigning champions Bayern Munich welcome Schalke 04 to the Allianz Arena for the opening game of the new Bundesliga campaign.
The Bavarians were unstoppable last season, particularly in the second half, on route to their treble-success in the league title, DFB-Pokal, and the Champions League. They’ll be out for a repeat this time around unless some club puts the brakes on them.
So ahead of the return of domestic action in Germany with no closed doors, Ace Football assesses the key battles that lie ahead with the help of William Hill to decide the outcome.
Nobody will stand in Bayern Munich’s way
Bayern Munich – 1/6
Hansi Flick’s appointment as interim manager last November brought unforeseen success in a moment where all seemed lost for Bayern. A 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt saw them hit rock-bottom, prompting Niko Kovac’s dismissal.
But to his credit, the German regrouped the entire squad and sparked a turnaround that defied their season.
Bayern played with more flair and confidence under Flick on route to an incredible run of 19 wins in their final 20 games to secure a record 30th Bundesliga title, and an eighth in succession. In fact, they’ve dropped just two points in 2020 to date.
The European champions have strengthened over the summer through the signings of Leroy Sane, Tanguy Nianzou, and Alexander Nubel. Although doubts persist over the futures of Thiago Alcantara and David Alaba, who may leave before the transfer window shuts on October 5.
Borussia Dortmund – 9/2
Lucien Favre’s side boast one of the most exciting young squads in European football with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna, Julian Brandt, and more.
But when the pressure was on to deliver last season, Dortmund failed to deliver at critical stages. The most notable moments were back-to-back defeats to rivals Bayern Munich, which cost them valuable points in the title battle.
Slipping up against PSG in the Champions League last-16 was another costly reminder of their inability to produce in the big games.
The loss of Achraf Hakimi, who had been on loan for the last two seasons from Real Madrid, to Inter Milan was unfortunate. Thomas Meunier, however, should prove to be a decent coup. While there is already excitement brewing for BVB’s €26.5m capture of Birmingham’s Jude Bellingham and loan signing of Reinier.
RB Leipzig – 20/1
The Red Bulls emerged as the runaway leaders during the first-half of last season and seemed posed for an unlikely title tilt. But an inability to convert stalemates into victories in the latter half (P15 W6 D8 L2) proved costly, resulting in a distant third-place finish.
Julian Nagelsmann may be one of the most promising young coaches in Europe, but even he may have his work cut out to sustain a title challenge this season after losing top-scorer Timo Werner to Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
Although Leipzig did tie down star center-back Dayot Upamecano to a new contract and have welcomed new signings in Hee-chan Hwang, Josep Martinez, Lazar Samardzic, and Benjamin Henrichs.
Lewandowski vs Haaland: The long-awaited duel
The battle that every fan wants to see this season is the one between Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland for the Bundesliga Golden Boot, better known as the ‘Torjaegerkanone’.
Lewandowski, who has won the award for the last three seasons, is favorite to keep the accolade at 8/15. But if you fancy a different winner, Haaland is next up at 4/1 following a stunning debut campaign for Dortmund. The 19-year-old may have arrived in January, but it took him no time at all to adapt to German football whatsoever.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Robert Lewandowski | 8/15 |
| Erling Haaland | 4/1 |
| Serge Gnabry | 12/1 |
| Marco Reus | 16/1 |
| Jadon Sancho | 16/1 |
| Leroy Sane | 20/1 |
7-way battle for the final top-four spot?
With the top-three more or less settled, Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen will probably duke it out for fourth-place. The former won the duel last time out by a measly two points, and will be confident of a repeat.
Marco Rose has a squad thriving with potential in young stars such as Marcus Thuram in the fold. Leverkusen, meanwhile, are in recovery mode after losing key men in Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland. They’ve turned to Patrik Schick, who impressed on loan at Leipzig last season, to supply the goals.
Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim, among three others, could also be within a chance of making the top-four.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gladbach | 4/5 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 11/10 |
| Wolfsburg | 5/1 |
| Hoffenheim | 11/2 |
| Hertha Berlin | 11/2 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 10/1 |
| Schlake 04 | 12/1 |
Out goes the newbies
Arminia Bielefeld’s spell in the Bundesliga looks set to be a short one with William Hill tipping them for automatic relegation. Union Berlin, who finished a wonderful 11th in their first-ever Bundesliga campaign last term, are tipped to join them after losing several players this summer.
Although Mainz shouldn’t be discounted either as late upturn in form was all that spared them of the drop last season.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Arminia Bielefeld | 10/11 |
| Union Berlin | 9/4 |
| Stuttgart | 11/4 |
| Augsburg | 10/3 |
| Mainz | 7/2 |
| Freiburg | 5/1 |
| Cologne | 5/1 |
| Werder Bremen | 5/1 |
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