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Bundesliga: Bayern and Hoffenheim headline opening weekend

| 24.07.2018

For better or for worse the World Cup is now a distant memory. The England team produced their best performance since 1990. And France will be riding a crest of a wave after their final success.

Whereas over in Germany all eyes will be on the start of the Bundesliga – without Hamburg! There are some huge ties from the get-go and big stories bubbling under the surface.

We take a look at the game’s you simply can’t miss…

Opening weekend

Hoffenheim travel to Bayern Munich on the Friday night.

Bayern are 3/10 to win the game. Hoffenheim are 9/1 to take three points off the Bavarians for the third time in four meetings. The draw is 9/2.

Julian Nagelsmann is joining RB Leipzig from the 2019-2020 season but will hope to steer Die Kraichgauer to a third successive top four finish.

Saturday kicks-off with a top-of-the-table tussle between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.

Dortmund are now under the tutelage of new manager Lucien Favre.

BVB are 3/4 to take the spoils with the draw at 29/10.

Leipzig have re-installed Ralf Rangnick as manager until the end of the season. RB are 16/5 to head back to East Germany with three points.

Borussia Monchengladbach open up against Bayer Leverkusen.

Dieter Hecking will want to improve on Gladbach’s ninth placed finish and has signed Alassane Plea to do so. The former Nice striker is 7/4 to end up on the winning side.

Bayer missed out on the Champions League on goal difference last season but are 7/5 to start with a win here. A score draw is 6/1.

Elsewhere on the opening day there’s the classic fixture between Wolfsburg and Schalke. The Wolves are 15/8 for victory.

Schalke start at 7/5 for the win. The draw comes in at 9/4.

All the return legs will be played in January on the first match-day back after the winter-break.

Derby Days

The most mouth-watering of these is Der Klassiker. Both Dortmund and Bayern will come in with new managers and a fresh approach. The first game is on the 10th November at Signal Iduna Park.

The return fixture will be played on 6th April in Munich.

The Revierderby also includes BVB. They will face local rivals Schalke who took four points from the two games last season.

It will be the 8th December in Gelsenkirchen that these two meet first. Dortmund will host the second match on 27th April.

The Bavarian derby resumes once again as Bayern take on Nurnberg. This may form a tasty double header with both games being played the same weekend’s as the Revierderby.

Freiburg will also be involved in the Baden-Schwaben derby with Stuttgart this season.

They duel on the 16th September at the Schwarzwald-Stadion and play on February 2nd in Stuttgart.

Final Day

A look to the final day and new Bayern boss Kovac will play host to his former side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Dortmund have the little matter of a Borussen Derby against Gladbach.

Rangnick will end his second-spell in charge of Leipzig away to Werder Bremen whilst Schalke take on Stuttgart at the Veltins Arena.

Hertha face Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion. Whilst Hoffenheim travel to Mainz 05 on the final match-day.

Schalke will hope a Champions League place is secure when they play Stuttgart.

Wolfsburg won’t want to be battling relegation yet again when Augsburg arrive in town.

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All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication

 

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Author

Charlie Dear

Charlie has covered sport for the likes of The Guardian, Football365 and FourFourTwo. Arsenal sufferer. German football enthusiast.