Bundesliga: Champions Bayern, Frankfurt Collide in Season Opener

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich

The Bundesliga will kick off another exciting campaign this weekend, and the first match of the season will see reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich travelling to Deutsche Bank Park to face Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern began life without star striker Robert Lewandowski by thumping RB Leipzig in the DFB Supercup.

But Frankfurt have had their share of success against the Bavarians in recent meetings and will be eager to defy the Bundesliga 2022 betting odds once again.

Talking Points

Frankfurt add firepower for new campaign

Despite finishing a lowly 11th in the Bundesliga standings, Eintracht Frankfurt had a dream season in 2021-22. The Eagles defeated Rangers on penalties in the Europa League final to win their second major European title in club history.

After successfully claiming silverware in his first season, manager Oliver Glasner will now look to get the Eagles back up to the top half of the table in his second campaign in charge. And he will have a couple of new weapons to help him do so.

Frankfurt signed striker Lucas Alario as well as former Bayern star Mario Gotze this summer to bolster an attack that was a bit lacking in firepower last season. They scored a mere 45 goals, with Rafael Borre’s eight goals leading the team.

Alario, who has spent the last five seasons with Bayer Leverkusen, scored 6 goals in 27 appearances last season. And Gotze – who famously scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup – spent the past two years at PSV, where he had 9 goals and 10 assists in 47 league appearances.

Meanwhile, Filip Kostic’s future remains unclear. The Serbian wing-back, who has been Frankfurt’s main creative force in recent years, continues to be linked with several clubs. Although, it looks as if he will still be around to start against Bayern.

Kostic got the start in Frankfurt’s 4-0 win over Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal earlier this week and set up the first of Daichi Kamada’s two goals after just four minutes. Meanwhile, newcomer Alario came on as a substitute and scored in the 90th minute to wrap up the win.

Lewandowski-less Bayern look good in win over Leipzig

Bayern Munich are all set to begin their quest for an incredible 11th Bundesliga title in a row. But for the first time in nine years, they will look to do so without superstar striker Robert Lewandowski after his move to Barcelona.

But the Bavarians did not seem to miss Lewy all that much in the German Super Cup, as they thumped RB Leipzig 5-3. Sadio Mane got on the scoresheet for his new club and led the line well in a more flexible and dynamic-looking Bayern attack.

Meanwhile, midfielder Jamal Musiala starred as he scored the opener and set up another goal. The talented teen got the start over veteran wingers Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman, and he may have earned another start after his excellent performance, which received rave reviews from his manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Nagelsmann could also move Musiala to central midfield to partner Joshua Kimmich, with Marcel Sabitzer – who got the start for the injured Leon Goretzka – possibly giving way.

New signings Matthijs de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch, and Noussair Mazraoui all came in as substitutes against Leipzig, but none of them is likely to start the season opener.

History

Bayern Munich have dominated Frankfurt over the years in the Bundesliga. The Bavarians have been victorious in 20 of their last 27 league meetings, with Frankfurt winning just three times.

However, two of the Eagles’ three triumphs have come in the last two seasons. They beat Bayern 2-1 at home on February 2021, then they went to Munich to beat Bayern 2-1 again in their first meeting of the following season.

Bayern finally snapped their surprising losing skid to Frankfurt with a 1-0 win at the Deutsche Bank Park last February. Leroy Sane scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Bayern Munich priced as 1.41 favourites for the season opener away from home. Frankfurt are 6.00 home underdogs, while a draw is 5.00.

While Bayern looked mighty impressive against Leipzig, facing European champions Eintracht Frankfurt will not be a walk in the park. The Eagles will bring back a mostly similar side to the one that claimed the Europa League title, and the home crowd should provide some much-needed energy against Bayern.

Bayern still look like a decent bet to go on and win the opener, but look for Eintracht Frankfurt to keep things competitive against the champions once again.

 

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