Dortmund are only hope against Bayern in Bundesliga title odds

After a season in which Bayern Munich swept all before them domestically, finishing some 19 points clear of Borussia Dortmund, it would take a brave man to back any other than Die Roten to take home top honours in the Bundesliga yet again.

Currently priced at an unappealing 1/7 to retain the title for a third-straight season, the harsh reality for fans of German football is that a league that once ranked as one of the most competitive in Europe has become something of an annual procession.

A major factor behind that has been the transfer policy adopted by the Bavarians in recent years, which has seen Bayern raid their nearest rivals for the biggest and brightest stars, strengthening their own cause while weakening others in the process.

Acquisitions have included Dante from Borussia Monchengladbach as well as Rafinha and Manuel Neuer of Schalke while recent years have seen Dortmund endure similar treatment with Mario Gotze already long-gone to the Allianz Arena and Robert Lewandowski now set to join him.

But for those optimistic about Jurgen Klopp’s chances of claiming a third Bundesliga title to join the two he captured in back-to-back seasons between 2010 and 2012, the price of 6/1 could tempt, particularly when you see the bold acquisitions made by Die Borussen.

Lewandowski may be gone but Dortmund have done some shrewd business to replace him with Adrian Ramos arriving from Hertha Berlin having enjoyed some fine scoring form and Ciro Immobile signed from Torino following a season in which he finished top scorer in Serie A with 22 goals.

More important still, Klopp has moved to fix some of the defensive problems that dogged Dortmund last time with Matthias Ginter arriving from SC Freiburg.

But Bayern have strengthened plenty too with promising midfielder Sebastian Rode joining from Eintracht Frankfurt along with Spanish left-winger and full-back Juan Bernat.

Elsewhere the perennially underachieving duo of Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen have bought well, but remain unlikely to mount a serious challenge, with the odds offered from Ladbrokes demonstrating that with the pair priced at 25/1 and 33/1 respectively.

Sidney Sam and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting are the two big names arriving in Gelsenkirchen while the most notable additions at Leverkusen are Josip Drmic and Hakan Calhanoglou but with both clubs enduring any number of false dawns in previous years, both are best avoided.

If you are a fan of football fairytales and underdog stories, then Dortmund do offer one option, but as previously stated, it takes a brave man to go against the Bayern machine these days.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim up to £50 in free bets.