The Bundesliga 2021/22 season is done and dusted and there’s a familiar name on the trophy as Bayern Munich won the German top-flight for a record 32nd time.
Bayern’s 10th consecutive title was never in doubt according to the Bundesliga 2022 betting odds and the Bavarians finished the job with ease – eight points clear of Borussia Dortmund – which is a fine start for boss Julian Nagelsmann in his first season.
With 97 goals in the league, Bayern have the best attack in Europe, but there are strong rumours that their prolific striker Robert Lewandowski is on his way.
The transfer rumour mill is starting to turn, but while fans of 16 Bundesliga clubs can now concentrate on incomings and outgoings, there are big games to come for two of the 18.
Hertha fighting for survival
Two-time German league winners Hertha Berlin are in peril of dropping to the second tier and they must now negotiate a tricky two-leg tie against Hamburg, who finished third in Bundesliga 2 and missed out on promotion by three points.
Hertha finished 16th in the Bundesliga, falling into the bottom three on the last day of the campaign, on goal difference alone after Stuttgart beat Cologne 2-1 as Wataru Endo scored a 92nd-minute winner.
That meant heartbreak for Hertha who led away to Borussia Dortmund at halftime, only to lose to a late goal. But, quite simply, Felix Magath’s team’s Bundesliga 2022 results haven’t been good enough and now they may pay the price.
The Berlin side will hope former Monaco striker Stevan Jovetic can add to his seven goals for the campaign when the first leg kicks off in Berlin on Wednesday, with the return in Hamburg scheduled for next Monday 23rd May.
Schalke and Werder Bremen secured an immediate return to the top-flight and Hertha will be determined to stop a third Bundesliga 2 side from celebrating, and they have experienced midfielders Kevin Prince-Boateng and Vladimir Darida to settle the nerves.
But with 71 goals conceded, they have the second worst defence in the top-flight and that may well be their downfall.
Eintracht shooting for glory
While the nerves are shredding in Berlin, in Frankfurt, the fans have much more to cheer about as their club is one step away from European glory with a Europa League final against Glasgow Rangers this Wednesday.
We previewed this game here at SBOTOP and the Eagles are in the box seat. They finished 11th in the Bundesliga while Rangers finished second in the Scottish Premier League, but Eintracht fans can be assured their league is tougher than Rangers’.
The Eagles played some fine football on the way to the final, beating Real Betis, Barcelona, and West Ham as flying winger Filip Kostic starred while Daichi Kamada top scored.
They certainly won’t take the Gers lightly though. The Scottish side beat Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig en route to the final and their passionate fans will travel in numbers to Seville for a great night under the floodlights.
Is Lewa on his way?
After a stellar career in Munich, it seems that Lewandowski is finally heading towards the exit door. He has broken every record in Germany and now he is looking for a new challenge, probably at Barcelona in La Liga according to recent reports.
The Bayern board is digging its heels in at the moment and they’re insisting that the Pole will respect his contract which runs until 2023. But money talks and nobody wants an unhappy player in the dressing room so I suspect Lewa’s eight-year stay in Bavaria is coming to a close.
The club is clearly planning for his departure and has been tracking Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Everton’s Richarlison as a possible replacement.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Erling Braut Haaland is off to Manchester City in the summer, but Borussia fans will be delighted by the news that England midfielder Jude Bellingham has pledged his loyalty to the club for at least another campaign.
And the club moved rapidly to replace the departing Haaland, announcing the signing of 20-year-old striker Karim Adeyemi as soon as the dust had settled.
Already a Germany international, Adeyemi replaced Haaland at RB Salzburg when the Norwegian moved to Dortmund and he scored 23 goals in 42 appearances for the Austrian side last term, including three in the Champions League.
Meanwhile, over at Leipzig, the ambitious club will have a battle on its hands to keep hold of hot property Christopher Nkunku. The French striker has been a revelation in the Bundesliga this season and he has attracted attention at Manchester United, though Paris Saint-Germain may be a more likely destination if, as expected, Kylian Mbappe makes his way to Real Madrid.
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