German Bundesliga: Top Four For The Top Four, Matchday One, 2022-23
Which Bundesliga games are you looking forward to this weekend?
The 2022-23 European football season is getting into full swing in just a few weeks and there will be fantastic games week in and week out. As the domestic league season is finally returning, it will be interesting to see how some of these teams handle it while also competing in European competitions. With teams playing in the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the UEFA Conference League it means we will be getting a week’s worth of football games, all leading up to the World Cup in Qatar in November. These are the four most interesting games in the German Bundesliga for August 5th and 6th, as matchday number one gets underway.
German Bundesliga: Top 4 Games For Matchday One
Friday, August 5th
1) Bayern Munich vs Frankfurt
It’s always interesting when Bayern Munich opens up the season as they once again look to repeat as German champions. SGE Frankfurt has won two out of the last three meetings they’ve played against Byron Munich. One of them came in last year‘s German Bundesliga competition and one came the year prior. That shows that Bayern isn’t exactly invincible when it comes to domestic league play. There is always a chance they could slip up right out of the gate and find themselves with zero or one point heading to week number two of the 2022-23 German Bundesliga season.
Last season Bayern Munich won their 10th consecutive German Bundesliga title and their 32nd overall trophy. 31 of their domestic league trophies have come during the German Bundesliga era. They also won the 2021 DFB-Super Cup, which they have already won during this 2022 season as well. Bayern Munich will be without star player Robert Lewandowski, as he left for Real Madrid earlier this year during the transfer window. However, they added Sadio Mane to replace him and Matthijs de Ligt to strengthen their backline over the offseason.
Last season SGE Frankfurt finished 11th in the table but won the UEFA Europa League, which means they will also play in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League. In the coming weeks, they will play in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup against UEFA Champions League winner Real Madrid because of last year’s Europa League win. They will be entering the Group Stage of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League as the 5th team from the German Bundesliga.
<img decoding="async" width="880" height="495" src="https://i0.wp.com/demo.borderfuelsports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78-1024x576.png?resize=880%2C495&ssl=1" alt="defending Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich's new signing Sadio Mane" class="wp-image-2147 lazyload" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=500%2C281&ssl=1 500w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=520%2C293&ssl=1 520w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?resize=1280%2C720&ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/stadiumrant.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/53/2022/08/untitled-design-78.png?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px" data-recalc-dims="1" />
Saturday, August 6th
2) Wolfsburg vs Bremen
After a disappointing performance last season it’ll be interesting to see how Wolfsburg bounces back after they were a relegation threat for most of the year. This will also be the return to the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen after a year away playing in the second division Bundesliga. Both of these teams will certainly be able to prove something in this game and show that last season was either a fluke or the start of something special.
Last season VFL Wolfsburg was a disaster as they finished towards the bottom of the table. They finished in 12th place in the table and only managed to win 12 of their 34 Bundesliga games and with a negative goal differential as well. They will be missing out on European competition this season as a result of last year’s poor performance.
Last season for Bremen was fantastic, as they earned a promotion from the second tier of German football. They finished in second place on the table and earned automatic promotion after only a year away from the top tier of the pyramid. From matchday 16 to matchday 25 they went undefeated with nine victories and one draw. They only lost back-to-back games once way back on matchday 7 and matchday 8.
3) Dortmund vs Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund is always in the running to win a German title and yet always seems to finish in second place behind Bayern Munich. They face the tough task of trying to replace Erling Haalandwho left for Manchester City over the off-season. Dortmund is also set to play in the upcoming champions league this season as they will enter the group stage along with four other German Bundesliga teams.
Last season Dortmund finished second in the table and won 22 of their 34 Bundesliga games. They have one of the youngest stars in football in my opinion and the young American Giovanni Reyna. However, he will have to learn how to stay healthy if he truly wants to break out here in the Bundesliga this season.
Bayern Leverkusen finished third in the German Bundesliga last season behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. They will also be playing in this year‘s upcoming UEFA champions league as well and they were also in the group stage just like their opponents in this game.
Sunday, August 7th
4) Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig
Stuttgart will have to find a way to perform a lot better this season as they finish tied for 15th on the table and dangerously close to the relegation zone. They were tied with one of the relegation teams but survived because of a better goal differential. Due to their abysmal performance last season they will not be competing in European competition which will allow them to focus solely on the German Bundesliga and improve their position on the table there.
Leipzig will be entering their first full season under their new Manager after getting rid of Jesse Marsh in the middle of last year. That move worked out for both sides, as Leipzig became a champions league team and Jesse Marsch saved Leeds United from relegation in the EPL. Not only will they be looking to have success in the champions league they will also be looking to repeat as DFB-Pokal champions. They did lose a key piece and Tyler Adams over the off-season to Leeds United but replaced him with Xaver Schlager.
About The Author
You can find me on Twitter @TonyBattalio16 or you can also find more of my or my fellow writers’ work at the Stadium Rant featured writers page or our various NFL team sites.
I also have a partnership with Underdog Fantasy where you can use my Code: VERIFIED1 to sign up and get a 100% deposit match when you deposit at least $10 when you create a new account.