Wolfsburg take on the visitors Bayern Munich in the round 1 match of German Bundesliga. The match will be played on Sunday, August 25th at Volkswagen Arena (Wolfsburg).
Wolfsburg changed their coach, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Under Ralph Hasenhüttl, the green-and-whites are starting the new season, having played just one official match so far, where they narrowly beat amateur side Koblenz 1-0 away in the cup. The team's performance was not convincing, and in terms of squad improvements, Wolfsburg didn’t really strengthen over the summer. They only signed goalkeeper Kamil Grabara from Copenhagen, who impressed them in the Champions League, and forward Amoura (a goal-scorer) from Union, but he is injured, and the Algerian can't play right now. And they are starting the season against Bayern Munich.
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Bayern didn’t win the championship for the first time in a long while, but they still secured second place comfortably; Bayer was simply out of reach last season. In any case, the visitors are beginning the new season with a new coach, Vincent Kompany, formerly of Anderlecht and Burnley (an unexpected choice). The Belgian's task is to develop young talent and integrate new signings (Palhinha, Vidovic). Bayern won’t abandon their dominant style, but they aim to evolve it. I was impressed by their preseason matches (4-0 against Grasshoppers and 3-0 against Tirol were convincing despite the heavy rotation). They also easily defeated Ulm (4-0) in the cup, and Bayern should start the season with a win against a lackluster Wolfsburg.
I believe the visitors are more than capable of winning by 2 goals or more here, though we’ll take the minus handicap on the favorite with some insurance. Notably, this bet has confidently come through in the last four matches (with one push), and even at the end of last season, when Bayern had no motivation, they comfortably beat Wolfsburg 2-0. A similar outcome should be expected in this match. Unfortunately, Wolfsburg's potential is far below that of Bayern, and it’s unlikely the hosts will be able to compete for European spots unless they significantly improve their squad. Bayern, with their class, skill, and experience, should win this match comfortably. At the start of the season, the visitors look significantly stronger than the hosts (so far on paper, but soon on the pitch as well).
Prediction for the match: Bayern Munich to win with -1.0 handicap.
