With the DFB Super Cup, the new Bundesliga season has officially kicked off. Reigning titleholder Bayer Leverkusen won this cup match after penalties against DFB Pokal winner VfB Stuttgart. Thus begins the 62nd season of German football, with the official kickoff on Friday, August 23.
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga is the top division of professional football in Germany. Since its inception in 1962, it has grown into one of the strongest competitions in Europe and the world. The champion of the Bundesliga automatically qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, and the bottom two in the rankings are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. The most successful club is Bayern Munich, the “Rekordmeister,” which has already won 33 Bundesliga titles. Since 2013, they have won the national title every year, except for the 2023-2024 season.
As always, there are new teams in the league this year. FC St. Pauli returns to the Bundesliga after 13 years, and Holstein Kiel is back after an absence of no less than 60 years. These clubs replace FC Köln and Darmstadt 98, who finished 17th and 18th, respectively.
Title Contenders
Bayer Leverkusen will have to fiercely defend the first title in its history, as it’s well known that the competition in German football is not easy. Last season seemed almost perfect for Leverkusen: they went unbeaten throughout the season, with 28 wins and 6 draws. Only Atalanta could defeat them in the Europa League. Now, they especially need to watch out for the two big names, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Coach Xabi Alonso is staying at the BayArena for now, despite interest from clubs such as Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
However, the latter will leave no stone unturned to reclaim the title. The Rekordmeister experienced their first season without a national title since 2013 last year, and in the Champions League, Real Madrid proved too strong in the semifinals. Therefore, coach Thomas Tuchel was dismissed, and the team had to look for a new coach. That coach came in the form of Vincent Kompany. The Belgian defender returned after two seasons in England, where he first led Burnley to the Premier League and then back to the second division. There are still many doubts about Kompany’s appointment at Germany’s most decorated club, but Bayern has already been successful in the preseason and the cup.
Borussia Dortmund also has a good chance of competing for the title. Last year, “Die Borussen” reached the Champions League final, but coach Edin Terzic still had to leave the team. Dortmund had some European success but had to settle for 5th place domestically. There were also some speculations about poor internal relationships, including with defender Mats Hummels. Dortmund will want to prove themselves again, but they will have to do so without longtime key player Marco Reus, who decided to leave the team.
Although only one team can win the title, there are also European tickets up for grabs. The top 5 in the Bundesliga earn a spot in the Champions League. Last year, those teams were Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, Leipzig, and Dortmund. Stuttgart was somewhat of an outsider but still managed to climb to second place ahead of Bayern Munich. A title might be a bit too ambitious, but Stuttgart will certainly be looking for another European opportunity. Besides the mentioned clubs, Eintracht Frankfurt also has a chance for a European ticket: they finished 6th last year and will be eager to improve on that performance.
Players to Watch
Last year, Englishman Harry Kane finished as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 36 goals, earning him the European Golden Shoe. It is expected that he can reclaim that top scorer position, now under the leadership of Vincent Kompany.
But as mentioned earlier, the competition is fierce in Germany, and Serhou Guirassy and Loïs Openda may perform even better this year. The former scored 28 goals for his club Borussia Dortmund, while Openda found the net 24 times for Leipzig.
At Bayern Munich, new acquisitions are also noteworthy: 22-year-old Michael Olise was purchased from Crystal Palace for 53 million euros. The Frenchman scored 14 goals and provided 22 assists for Palace last year. Additionally, Joao Palhinha was bought from Fulham for 51 million euros.
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