Schick and Hložek will have a rough start, Darida will have a big derby. What to look forward to in the first round of the Bundesliga?

Club football is back! On Friday evening the Bundesliga will start its new season. The first match promises to be an attractive spectacle. But the first round will be interesting. The clubs with Czech legionnaires don’t have the easiest lot. What to look forward to in the first round?

Bayern go to an unfavourable ground

After winning their tenth title, Bayern Munich are looking to complete another successful defence. This time, however, without Robert Lewandowski in the team, but with Sadio Mané. The Bavarians were often criticized last season for the way they played, and now they will want to make amends.

Eintracht Frankfurt will be up against them. There is still a huge euphoria in the Hessian capital after the club managed to win the Europa League. Moreover, if there is anyone who has been able to take on Bayern in recent years, it is the winner of Europe’s second most prestigious competition.

In the last four matches, Frankfurt managed to beat Bayern twice and lost twice. So this is an unpleasant opponent that can cause a big surprise right from the start.

Schick and Hložek will play against their biggest rivals

Bayer Leverkusen have had a great season. They finished third in the league, qualified for the Champions League and are looking to not only build on that, but preferably surpass it. They are aiming for second place. And even higher. He’s even kept all his stars together and brought in some interesting names.

If anyone is going to be Leverkusen’s biggest rival for second place, it’s Borussia Dortmund. And it is at their stadium that the club, which includes Patrik Schick and Adam Hložek, will play on Saturday from 18:30.

There are always a lot of goals in Dortmund’s matches with Leverkusen. At least three goals have been scored in the last nine meetings. With the exception of one match, there have always been a few more goals.

A Berlin derby right from the start? Why not?

You can still watch the anticipated Berlin derby before Saturday’s showpiece. Both clubs will enter it with different mindsets. Hertha will be looking to atone for last season’s tragic season, while Union, on the other hand, will be looking to build on a very successful season, finishing fifth.

Union were clearly the second club in Berlin until recently, but after their promotion they are doing a fantastic systematic job and have something extra. His identity is addictive. The quality of the work done must have been appreciated by Hertha themselves, who now rank second in Berlin in terms of performance.

The Union have dominated the last three Berlin derbies. However, Vladimir Darida and his Hertha will now do everything they can to ensure that this streak is not extended. The game will be played at the “small” Union stadium, so expect high emotions, goals and a fantastic atmosphere.

The return of the famous big clubs with legionnaires from the Czech Republic

When the new Bundesliga season started a year ago, the fans were dealing with a huge unusual event. Two traditional big clubs were missing from the table. Schalke and Werder Bremen. Both teams, however, immediately won promotion to the elite and we can look forward to “everything going back to normal”.

In addition, Schalke have a new signing in Alex King, who will definitely be one of the other reasons to watch the Royal Blues. However, the Gelsenkirchen team will not have an easy start. They will be taking on Cologne, who finished seventh last year and will now be looking to build on that.

Werder with Jiri Pavlenko in goal will not be expecting any honey either. Wolfburg, who will welcome Bremen back to the elite, has undergone several changes. They have brought in some interesting names and Niko Kovac has taken the coaching seat. The goal is clear. To make up for last year’s unsuccessful season, preferably right from the start. Bremen will have their work cut out for them.

Kadeřábek will not have an easy start either

Hoffenheim, after Julian Nagelsmann’s departure from the club, may not be achieving such great rankings, but they are still an unpleasant opponent for anyone. The team is very well put together, hiding both talent and quality. It can easily fight for Europe. But the competition is great.

One of the competitors will be Borussia Mönchengladbach, where Pavel Kadeřábek and co. will play on Saturday. Borussia finished tenth last season, far behind expectations.

Both clubs will want to show early on that they can challenge for Europe. Especially in Mönchengladbach, the pressure will be on for this to be the case. The fans there are looking forward to the new season and expect a return to the top positions.

Bundesliga Round 1 schedule

Friday 5 August

20:30 – Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich

Saturday 6 August

15:30 – Augsburg vs. Freiburg
15::30 – Bochum vs. Mainz
15::30 – Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Hoffenheim
15:30 – Union Berlin vs. Hertha Berlin
15::30 – Wolfsburg vs. Werder Bremen
18::30 – Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Sunday 7 August

15:30 – Stuttgart vs. RB Leipzig
17::30 – Cologne vs. Schalke 04

Source: Bundesliga