Bundesliga previews, predictions, odds and discounts and the latest odds

Change was in the air in Germany in 2023/24 when Bayer Leverkusen put together a record-breaking season – unbeaten to finish the league and cup double and missing out on an unbeaten season by losing to Atalanta in the Europa League final. in Dublin.

Harry Kane's first season at Bayern Munich saw plenty of goals, but no trophies and a third-place finish, while Dortmund's dream run to the Champions League final saw them do well in the Bundesliga.

There are new faces at some of Germany's biggest clubs, both on and off the pitch, with cult club St Pauli returning to the top flight as Hamburg's top team and being joined by Holstein Kiel after 60 years in the wilderness.

But who will win the league in 2024/25, who will defend those five Champions League places and who will be relegated to Bundesliga 2? Let's take a look, shall we?

All odds are from Bet365 and were correct at the time of writing on Tuesday, August 13.

Bundesliga winner

Bayern Munich – 1/2

Vincent Kompany replaces Thomas Tuchel who is in charge and it will be the first season Munich enter a season away from the defending champions since 2012.

Not only did they lose their title to Bayer Leverkusen last season but they actually dropped to third place behind Stuttgart at the last count, losing an incredible eight of 34 games to finish 18 points behind.

Despite all that, they are still strong favorites and Kompany have Premier League attackers Joao Palinha and Michael Olise from Fulham and Crystal Palace respectively and will be under immediate pressure to defend Bundesliga title number 34.

Back to scoring goals! is back🫡#FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/y3jQHNjqIm

– FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) August 13, 2024

Bayer Leverkusen – 5/2

Xabi Alonso's men made history last season by going unbeaten to claim their first league title. Neverkusen, no more.

The 42-year-old was a hot spot in the manager's market this summer – not that he spent long there. The Spaniard rejected advances from Bayern and Liverpool to stay in charge for a second full season, but despite keeping the core of the club together, can he follow up on last term's success? This looks like a decent price considering they can.

Borussia Dortmund – 10/1

Dortmund may have reached the Champions League final at Wembley in June, but at home they were far from it, finishing fifth, 27 points behind Leverkusen.

Edin Terzic was replaced by Nuri Sahin and although Dortmund started life behind Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, they brought in Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy, ​​whose 28 goals were second only to Harry Kane's 36, as they looked to make it a three-horse race. .

Qualifying for the Champions League

Bayern Munich – 1/80

Bayern have reached the Group Stage of the Champions League every year since 2008 – it is unthinkable that they will not be there again next season. You won't get rich, think…

A man who is just happy at work. 😍 pic.twitter.com/fE0TahS1oL

– Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_zu) August 13, 2024

Bayer Leverkusen – 1/6

Leverkusen will be starting their 10th Champions League campaign since losing the 2002 final against Real Madrid. They haven't made the quarter-finals since then, but don't expect their focus on Europe to stop them from getting back there in 12 months' time.

Borussia Dortmund – 4/9

This will be Dortmund's ninth consecutive Champions League campaign and 13th of 14 seasons. They secured it despite finishing in 5th place as their run to the final helped ensure that Germany's efficiency was high enough to secure an extra place. They probably won't need that cushion next term.

RB Leipzig – 4/7

Leipzig will be in the Champions League for the sixth season in a row this season, and have failed to reach the knockout stages once. Although Marco Rose's side have had a poor domestic campaign that saw them win just 19 games, it will be difficult for them not to go through.

A man with a plan 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/szsxWGp6bi

– Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 2, 2024

Abatement

Holstein Kiel – 11/10

Newly promoted second-placed St Pauli in Bundesliga 2 – this is their first top-flight campaign in 60 years. They'll be hoping it's not their last, but they're favorites to go straight back down.

St Pauli – 13/8

Another side returned to the top flight after a long absence – this time 13 years. They will be without Fabian Hurzeler who left to take over at Brighton this summer, but former Genoa boss Alexander Blessin will be looking to continue their upward trajectory.

Heidenheim – 9/4

The newly promoted side lost just 12 games last season in their first season in the top flight and Frank Schmidt even managed to sneak into Europe on goal difference on the final day of the season to complete a fairytale campaign. Will the Europa Conference League be a distraction and will a second season strike?

Bochum – 5/2

The Vfl finished third on goal difference last season, mainly due to their inability to convert draws into prizes. They scored a ton but had the second worst defense in the division. They managed to survive after thrashing Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-0 in the play-offs before going on to win on penalties.

Let's get started!#fcsp pic.twitter.com/I7ypEcQX6t

– FC St. Pauli (@fcstpauli) July 15, 2024