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DORTMUND, GERMANY – Erling Haaland of Dortmund is challenged by Joshua Kimmich of Muenchen during their Supercup 2021 match at the Signal Iduna Park on August 17, 2021 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo : Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Can Bayern Munich be stopped? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as the German Bundesliga embarks on a new season. Bayern Munich heads into the 2021-22 campaign as the overwhelming favorite, having won each of the last nine editions of the Bundesliga.
The Bavarian giants will look to set a new record in Europe’s top five leagues with a 10th successive Bundesliga title, but the road to yet another domestic championship promises to be tougher this time around.
Bayern Munich held to a draw in opening league match
Bayern had a rude awakening in their league opener against Borussia Monchengladbach as they were held to a 1-1 draw. Gladbach opened the scoring in the ninth minute via Alassane Plea, but Robert Lewandowski restored parity for Bayern with a well-taken goal in the 42nd minute. The second half didn’t produce any more goals as Julian Nagelsmann left the game still searching for his first Bundesliga win as head coach.
That early slip-up has given Bayern’s rivals hope that the 2021-22 season might finally be the year that Munich’s reign will come to an end. Two teams have taken notice and are ready to pounce this season, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
This season, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to put up a solid campaign despite losing the services of star player Jadon Sancho to Manchester United. Dortmund has bolstered their defense by signing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from Stuttgart and got Dutchman Donyell Malen to replace Sancho in their attack.
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Dortmund and RB Leipzig looking to end Bayern’s dominance
This season, Dortmund got off to a flying start in the Bundesliga, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 in their opening league match. Despite Sancho’s departure, Dortmund showed their attack is still free-flowing, with Erling Haaland scoring a brace and Marco Reus, Thorgan Hazard, and Giovanni Reyna adding a goal each.
Dortmund failed to sustain the momentum of that huge win, though, as they lost 3-1 to rivals Bayern in the German Super Cup. Lewandowski scored twice against his former team to give Bayern its fifth Super Cup title in the last six years.
Just like Nagelsmann and Bayern, Jesse Marsch’s first game in charge of RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga did not go according to plan. RB Leipzig failed to take advantage of Bayern’s opening day slip-up, losing 1-0 to Mainz despite their opponents having a dozen players in COVID-19 quarantine.
It’s still early days, though, and RB Leipzig is expected to give Bayern a run for its money because of its deep squad. Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate might have left the club this past offseason, but RB Leipzig also got some new arrivals, with Andre Silva fortifying their attack and Josko Gvardiol bolstering their defense.
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