Bayern Munich is clearly the top contender to win the title this year. They want the trophy badly and they will di their best to get it this year. Despite having a great season last year, current Champions Borussia Dortmund are not credited with very high chances by the bookmakers.  Check out our season preview and free betting predictions.

SEASON PREVIEW- With the return of coach Jupp Heynckes, Bayern Munich looks to be more motivated then ever before, the club was embarrassed by their performances last year. Bayern finished ten points adrift of Dortmund in third last season, which was hugely disappointing considering the fantastic year they had in 2010. They have strengthened significantly over the summer, bringing in goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from Schalke, Jerome Boateng from Manchester City and Rafinha from Genoa among others.

- Borussia Dortmund won the league with two games to spare last season. They have been more moderate in their spending than Bayern, with Ilkay Gundogan from Nurnburg and Ivan Perisic from Brugge being their main signings. Lucas Barrios will miss the start of the season after he damaged a thigh muscle in the Copa America final. Many are expecting Borussia and Bayern to battle it out in a two-horse race this season although the Bundesliga is not always as predictable as the Premier League in England and there is the possibility of Bayer Leverkusen, FC Schalke and even Wolfsburg mounting a serious title challenge this term.

- New Bayer Leverkusen Coach Robin Dutt will have a very talented squad to work with and a bigger budget at his disposal but with that comes egos and expectations. Bayer will be missing goalkeeper Rene Adler for a huge chunk of the season, Vidal (acquired by Juventus) and, furthermore, the glamour of the Champions League could prove to be a distraction as was the case for Werder Bremen and Schalke last season. Their main signing has been Andre Schurlle from Mainz for €8million.

- Schalke 04 endured a terrible season in the league last year, finishing fourteenth. However, they were successful outside the league, winning the German Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. Even though they lose a world-class talent in goalkeeper Manuel Neuer they have the best midfield in the leaguein my opinion with the likes of teenage sensation Julien Draxler, Jefferson Farfan, Jurado, and the return of Lewis Holtby on loan from Mainz where he has a great season. They will have to improve under manager Ralf Rangnick to win a first title since 1958.



- Wolfsburg (the 2009 champions) and Stuttgart, who were twelfth last season, are behind the teams above mentioned. Felix Magath is the perfect manager for Wolfsburg. The signing of Croatian forward Srđan Lakić is a great one, Hasan Salihamidžić back to the Bundesliga is a great move and adds experience.
The start to Stuttgart's season, instead, will be difficult with injuries to defenders Ermin Bičakčić and Georg Niedermeier along with the sell of Christian Träsch to Wolfsburg.

- Werder Bremen can't expect to fight for the title. They'll need a more productive season from Arnautovic but the addition of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Andreas Wolf to the defense add depth to a defense in need.

- Hoffenheim can be a big surprise. Hamburg, instead, should be very disappointed: this looks like a transition year for the club.

- FC Kaiserslautern, FC Augsburg, SC Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach are our relegation contenders. 

BUNDESLIGA OUTRIGHTS ODDS

• Bayern Munich @ 1.62
• Borussia Dortmund @ 5.80
• Bayer Leverkusen @ 14.00
• Schalke 04 @ 23.00
• Wolfsburg @ 29.00

OUR PREDICTIONSWinner:  Bayern Munich @ 1.62
Relegation:  Kaiserslautern @ 2.75
Winner without B.Munich: Schalke 04 @ 9.00
Top Goalscorer: Mario Gomez @ 4.33 and Srdjan Lakic @ 21.00

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