Bayern vs Hoffenheim: A Big Battle to Open the Bundesliga!

Bayern Munich vs Hoffenheim

The Bundesliga is back, and its opening fixture couldn’t get any better as the top two attacking teams of last season meet to get the 2018/19 campaign going.

Bayern Munich are in search for a seventh straight league title, and all signs point they are on their way to extend their championship run under new coach Niko Kovac. With a plethora of world-class players at his disposal, Kovac’s biggest and, perhaps, only enemy is himself.

Hoffenheim, however, will be keen to stop the Bavarians in their quest for immortality. And they have more reason to win now more than ever, in a year that could be possibly their last window of opportunity before manager Julian Nagelsmann leaves for RB Leipzig.

Talking Points

Although Bayern might have wished for an easier opposition on opening day, they have everything going their way already and couldn’t ask for a better situation. After all, they still have their star man in Robert Lewandowski and will be playing in front of their home fans in the Allianz Arena.

Lewandowski scored 29 league goals for the Bavarians en route to winning the top-scorer prize. And following his forgettable performance for Poland in the World Cup, he is undoubtedly eager to bounce back and prove his worth.

For what it’s worth, Lewandowski has netted seven times in 14 matches against Hoffenheim. He has also never failed to score in the opening game of the German top flight in the past three seasons, scoring a total of five goals in that stretch.

Furthermore, Bayern are one of the best teams at home. In fact, they only lost one league game at home in the past year—a 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the final game of the campaign, which is something that shouldn’t really be counted as it had no bearing for them with the title all but secured.

The only concern for the team is adjusting to Kovac’s football philosophy. As noted in our team overview about Bayern, Kovac prefers a direct play with emphasis on intensive pressing and quick scoring, contrary to Bayern’s possession-oriented approach that brought them success in recent years.

Bayern are capable of thriving in any style. That’s just how deep they are. However, as what we have seen in their 1-0 win over fourth-tier side SV Drochtersen/Assel, they need time to get acclimated to the new type of football that Kovac brings.

On the other hand, Hoffenheim know they are the underdogs when they visit Munich. Unfortunately, they are likely to miss some key players. According to the latest Bundesliga 2018 news, midfielders Nadiem Ameri, Kerem Demirbay, Dennis Geiger and Lukas Rupp, as well as defender Benjamin Hubner, are all out due to injuries and fitness issues.

It doesn’t help that they are no longer with their 2017/18 leading scorer Mark Uth who bolted to runners-up Schalke 04 on a free this summer.

If there’s one silver lining for the Sinsheimers, it’s that they might not need to look further for Uth’s replacement. Joelinton, who spent the past two years on loan at Rapid Wien, returned to the team and impressed immediately with a hat-trick and an assist in the German Cup against 3.Liga squad FC Kaiserslautern.

Manager Julian Nagelsmann hopes to start the new Bundesliga season on a high note by beating Bayern Munich — Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann gestures towards his players during their Champions League game against Liverpool last August 2017

Of course, the young Brazilian forward will have a hard time breaking through the best defence in the league, but he has shown enough to make the Bavarians cautious of him.

History

Nagelsmann’s side is only one of four teams to have beaten the German giants last term, taking down the then Carlo Ancelotti-coached squad 2-0 at WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar Arena in their September encounter. Nonetheless, it was Uth who scored both of their goals in the game.

Moreover, the last time they met in Munich, the reigning champions came out 5-2 winners behind goals from Lewandowski, Jerome Boateng, Kingsley Coman, Arturo Vidal and Sandro Wagner. Out of the five scorers, only Vidal is no longer with the team.

The two clubs have split their past five meetings, claiming two victories each and the other ending up in a draw. Hoffenheim have the advantage in recent head to head though, having won twice in their last three match-ups.

Betting Tip

	Bayern Munich vs Hoffenheim	Hoffenheim Asian Handicap +1.75 @ 2.01
	August 25, 02:30 (GMT+8)

The Bayern-Hoffenheim match is going to be a cracker, that despite the Bundesliga 2018 odds at SBOBET pointing to a one-sided affair.

Bayern often start strong. That has been the case in the past two years. But with a new boss at the helm and the team still lacking real-game experience together with their new recruits, the Bavarians are expected to take things slowly.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe Bayern will win this tie, albeit by only one goal and not as high-scoring as their last game. With that said, I’m putting my money on Hoffenheim on Asian Handicap betting.