We’re just days away from the beginning of what will be another fantastic Bundesliga season. Current holders Bayern Munich, who also reached the Champions League final and lifted the DfB Pokal, will look to continue their domestic domination in the new season and once again compete for European glory. Meanwhile, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, Schalke, Stuttgart and Hamburg and Leverkusen will all look to compete for European spots and challenge for the Bundesliga title. Further down the table, St. Pauli and Kaiserslautern have been promoted to the Bundesliga and will have to compete with the likes of Nurnberg, Koln, Hannover and Mainz for survival this season.
Here are my predictions for the upcoming season from bottom to top:
Automatic relegation: Kaiserslautern, Nurnberg
Relegation play-off: St. Pauli
Europa League qualifiers: Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen, Leverkusen
Champions League qualifiders: Schalke, Hamburg
Champions: Bayern Munich
I can’t see any real quality from Kaiserslautern, Nurnberg or St. Pauli, so I’ve condemned them to the bottom three of the Bundesliga table this season. Hannover, Freiburg and Koln look like they have just that little extra class in their squads and I can see them edging the aforementioned three and settling into mid-table.
With Steve McClaren, I can see Wolfsburg improving on last year’s performance but I don’t see them immediately returning to the top three. Werder Bremen had a great season last season but I can’t see them repeating that with Mesut Ozil’s future under constant speculation and Torsten Frings getting older and older. Leverkusen still look to be a handy side, and I can see them having a similar season to the one they had last term.
For the Champions League qualifiers, I expect to see Schalke once again challenging for the Bundesliga title and so I believe they’ll once again be right up there with the best of them. Alongside Schalke, I can see Hamburg having a great season with Eljero Elia and Ruud van Nistelrooy in particular being standout players.
And finally, for the win, I believe Bayern Munich will once again clinch the title. Louis van Gaal’s side look deep enough and strong enough to compete with the best in Europe on a weekly basis, nevermind just the Bundesliga. I think they’ll hold their ground and once again secure domestic honours.
What do you think of the upcoming season? Leave your predictions below!
