Bundesliga: Bayern and Dortmund resume league duties after Super Cup Final

Dortmund enthralled the 25,000 fans inside Signal Iduna Park last weekend, as they put on a masterclass to brush aside Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2. The bumblebees, as Dortmund are nicknamed, buzzed, as they besieged Frankfurt’s goal. Erling Haaland was virtually unstoppable as he popped up with two goals, while Marco Reus, Thorgan Hazard and Giovanni Reyna supplied the other goals.

Although there have been changes at Dortmund this summer, they have already set their stall out early. Last season, Dortmund trailed in Bayern Munich’s wake as they finished a distant 14 points behind the reigning champions. But Dortmund have always been fun to watch, and they will be creditable contenders this season.

• Borussia Dortmund to beat SC Freiburg @12/25 with Casumo
• Erling Haaland to score at least two goals for Dortmund @23/10 with Casumo

Records tumble during Borussia Dortmund’s opening day win

Dortmund’s emphatic win over Frankfurt saw records tumble. Aside from scoring twice, Haaland also made three assists. He became the first Dortmund player since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2016 to have five key match involvements. Dortmund have struck at least one goal in 33 Bundesliga matches — a new club record. While Reus has become the fifth Dortmund player to bring up a century of Bundesliga goals.

Haaland — a man on a mission for Dortmund

Haaland may only be 21 years old, but he has already enjoyed an electrifying start to his Dortmund career. Last season, Haaland scored 41 goals in all competitions, 27 of them in the Bundesliga.

Freiburg fire blanks in opening Bundesliga game against Arminia

Against Dortmund, Freiburg know they will have to take their chances otherwise they will be punished. Although Freiburg began their campaign with a clean sheet, they were held to a goalless draw away to Arminia. Freiburg enjoyed more of the ball, but of their 15 attempts on goal, only five were on target. They will need to produce something special to get anything against Dortmund.

Bayern Munich start title defence in inauspicious fashion

Bayern Munich have become the hunted in this campaign, and there are a plethora of teams hoping to snatch their crown. Last season, things fell nicely into place for the reigning champions, but last weekend, they could only manage a 1-1 draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach. Bayern fell behind in the 10th minute to an Alassane Plea strike.

Robert Lewandowski levelled things when he steered home a volley from a Joshua Kimmich corner just before the break. There was some late drama too when Dayot Upamecano looked to have conceded a penalty, but referee Marco Fritz waved play on, much to the fury of Gladbach coach Adi Hutter.

• Bayern Munich to beat Cologne @1/10 with Casumo
• Robert Lewandowski to score at least two goals for Bayern Munich @8/5 with Casumo

It will be interesting to see how Julian Nagelsmann settles in after replacing Hansi Flick. There is huge pressure on his shoulders, especially as Bayern have perennially won the Bundesliga title, and they are expected to contend for the Champions League. Although it is early days, Nagelsmann’s side need to step things up, and that has to start against Cologne. Winning the Super Cup in such comfortable fashion against Dortmund, indeed his first win as Bayern manager, will set him in good stead.

Bayern Munich v Cologne: A look back at past encounters

Cologne started their season in fine fashion by taking out Hertha Berlin 3-1. But they may be feeling a bit apprehensive about facing Bayern Munich. Bayern v Cologne has been a storied fixture in the Bundesliga, with 94 meetings between the two sides in Germany’s top flight division, however Bayern have racked up 48 victories.

Last season, Bayern romped to a 5-1 victory at the Allianz Arena with Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both grabbing a brace. Indeed, there is little for Cologne to cheer about in recent meetings, as the games have generally been quite one-sided. While you expect Bayern to improve from their display against Monchengladbach, the fans will be taking nothing for granted.

18+ | Odds subject to change| Please gamble responsibly | www.begambleaware.org