Borussia Dortmund take on the visitors Koln in the round 1 match of German Bundesliga. The match will be played on Saturday, August 19th at Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund).
In Dortmund, they have long been accustomed to the fact that almost every season the team loses its leaders. However, they still remain the main competitor to Bayern in the fight for the championship in Germany. In the current Bundesliga campaign, the Yellow and Blacks will make another attempt to take the salad bowl away from their bitter rivals. Most likely, Borussia will win their first home match. During the summer, the team had an excellent preparation for the new season, playing seven friendly matches, winning six of them with a total score of 24-6. Victories over prestigious opponents include matches against Ajax (3-1) and Manchester United (3-2). In their first official match of August, Borussia Dortmund completely dominated Schott Mainz in the country's cup (6-1).
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Certainly, Cologne are not Schott Mainz, however, it's unlikely that Steffen Baumgart's team will offer strong resistance to Borussia, especially in Dortmund. In the previous season, the Goats only finished in the 11th position in the Bundesliga table. Yes, they weren't fighting for survival, but they didn't contend for high places either. In their summer friendlies as part of the preparation for the championship, the team also looked decent. However, Cologne's friendly opponents were of a lower level compared to Borussia's opponents. More or less prestigious matches were against Nantes, Mallorca, and Gornik Zabrze. In the first round of the country's cup of the current season, the Goats almost got eliminated by Osnabruck. The regular time ended in a 1-1 draw, and they managed to secure a win only in extra time. Moreover, during the second half of the regular time, the opponent could have ended the match in their favor, but they missed a penalty.
Undoubtedly, surprises and upsets happen at the start of the season in all leagues. However, I don't expect any surprises in the match in Dortmund. Die Borussen are clearly two classes above their opponent and are expected to start with a home victory. In the previous season, Borussia Dortmund had the best home record in the Bundesliga - out of 17 matches, they won 14, with a goal difference of 55-17. The Goats were humiliated at the Signal Iduna Park with a score of 1-6. A season earlier, they lost here with a score of 0-2. I believe the favorite will win by at least two goals this time as well. My prediction is a handicap (-1) for the home team.
Prediction for the match: Borussia Dortmund to win with -1.0 handicap.
