Prediction: Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich

Verdict: Bayern to lift the trophy

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: William Hill

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are in problems after a series of disappointing defeats in pre-season and head coach Carlo Ancelotti will want to see considerable improvement from his side. Borussia Dortmund, too, have failed to impress of late, so it will be interesting to see where the two teams are in terms of form at the moment.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund couldn’t be too happy with the outcome of last season, despite lifting the DFB Pokal trophy, and it remains to be seen whether they can do any better this term. As the uncertainty still surrounds the future of star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club officials have already made some moves in the transfer market, allowing Matthias Ginter and Sven Bender to leave, while recruiting Mahmoud Dahoud, Omer Toprak, Maximilian Philipp and Dan-Axel Zagadou. The return of Mario Gotze is also considered a major boost, but another injury to star forward Marco Reus is definitely a cause for concern. As things stand now, the current squad do not appear to be stronger than that of last season, especially with Reus out and Aubameyang still expected to leave the club. The squad rebuilding process is still in progress as witnessed by some under-par results in pre-season, and we can see the Millionaires struggling in the German Super Cup clash against Bayern Munich.

Team News

Marco Reus continues to miss out through injury, while Emre Mor is unlikely to feature as he nears a switch to Fiorentina.

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich did well to reclaim the domestic domination over the last few years, but the club are reeling from the lack of European success. After Pep Guardiola failed to bring Champions League glory to Allianz Arena, it is now Carlo Ancelotti’s turn. The Bavarians made a couple of big name signings as Corentin Tolisso and James Rodriguez both joined, while they further reinforced their ranks with Sebasian Rudy and Niklas Sule. However, Bayern Munich have been terribly disappointing in pre-season, suffering defeats to Arsenal (0-4), Inter (0-2), Liverpool (0-3) and Napoli (0-2), while only defeating Chelsea (3-2). While we obviously shouldn’t attach too much importance to pre-season results, it is clear that Bayern are far from the desired form at the moment and this is something they will need to work on. The Bavarians also failed to score a single goal in their last three matches, and they also have some selection problems ahead of the Borussia Dortmund clash.

Team News

James Rodriguez (thigh) and Thiago Alcantara (abdominal) have both been ruled out, whereas David Alaba is rated doubtful.

Key Factors to Consider

• Bayern won five of last ten meetings with Dortmund (D3 L2)
• The teams have two wins each in last four Super Cup meetings
• The Bavarians failed to score in last three fixtures
• Borussia also failed to score in last two
• Both teams lost their last two friendly matches

Conclusion

It would appear as though neither side are in a good shape at the moment, but we have a feeling both teams will step up their game in the first competitive fixture of the season. In spite of their disappointing results of late, we are backing Bayern Munich to emerge victorious.

Verdict: Bayern to lift the trophy

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: William Hill