Serie A and the Bundesliga are kicking off this weekend! More exciting news for us football fanatics after the Premier League and La Liga kicked off last week. The two leagues may not present the star power that England does, but they will likely be just as exciting as the Premier League this season. In Germany, Dortmund lost the title on the last matchday in 2023, while in Serie A every placement except for top spot were in contention until matchday 38, and the Italian league surprisingly presented three teams in each final of the main European competitions. Let’s see what we’ll have in store this season.
Bundesliga Overview and Odds
Bayern Munich, who clinched the title in a rather unconvincing manner last season, recently added arguably the best striker in the world, Harry Kane, to their roster. However, if last week’s blowout defeat to RB Leipzig in the Super cup is of any indication, the Bavarian side will once again face tough opposition in order to clinch their 12th consecutive title. Bayern faced several issues defensively last season and attempted to strengthen their backline by adding Min Jae Kim from Napoli, one of the continent’s best center backs last year. They may not yet be the finished article, but Tuchel has now had time to settle into his squad, and the fact that other teams in the league have also somewhat worsened leads to the inevitable conclusion that Bayern will once again be the overwhelming favorite to win the title.
Bayern to win the Bundesliga – 1.26
The only likely challengers to Bayern’s dominance are, once again, Borussia Dortmund, and potentially RB Leipzig. Dortmund lost starting left back Raphael Guerreiro to Bayern on a free transfer and saw their star player Jude Bellingham move to Real Madrid early in the window, replacing both with Bensebaini and Sabitzer respectively. Both are well accustomed to the Bundesliga, but they are also both a qualitative downgrade. Dortmund will likely only be able to challenge Bayern this season if the Bavarians have an off year.
Dortmund to win the Bundesliga – 5.80
Dortmund to make Top 4 – 1.08
RB Leipzig have overhauled their squad, raking in massive fees for the likes of Nkunku, Szoboszlai and Gvardiol, who all joined top Premier League sides this summer. These are arguably their top performers from last season, but the East German club certainly didn’t feel their absence in last week’s Supercup 0-3 thrashing of Bayern. Leipzig also added quality players up top in Openda from lens and mercurial talent Benjamin Sesko. They could be the real threat, if there is to be any, to Bayern this season, even though the bookmakers are very skeptical about a possible run to the title following their underwhelming season in 2023.
RB Leipzig to win the Bundesliga – 11.00
RB Leipzig to make Top 4 – 1.33
Serie A Overview and Odds
Serie A will arguably again be the most exciting league in Europe: four different clubs have won the title in the past four years, whereas City are starting to dominate English football and Bayern have been unbeatable in the past decade. Last year’s surprise champions, Napoli, lost their manager Spalletti and sold their main center back, Min Jae Kim, to Bayern after just one season at the club. It is difficult to bet against Napoli simply for the fact that the squad essentially remained intact – bar Kim’s departure – and there is also no reason to doubt that star men Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia won’t take a further step forward in their output this upcoming campaign.
However, the bookmakers see last year’s Champions League finalists Inter as favorites this season. This will be Inzaghi’s third year as manager, while his squad has undergone a relatively big overhaul, with the departures of Skriniar, Brozovic, Gosens, Lukaku, Onana and Dzeko. Replacements have been decently suitable, with Thuram upfront and Frattesi in the center being the stars of the Milanese side’s transfer market so far. Inzaghi, much like Pioli at Milan, will have to work hard to incorporate the large number of new arrivals, and his team’s performance in Europe las season has convinced bookmakers that they’ve got what it takes this season to win their 20th title.
Inter Milan to win Serie A – 2.85
Napoli to win Serie A – 3.80
Behind the top two contenders are a slew of teams that have a decent – if not great – argument as to why they will also challenge for the title this season. AC Milan, Roma and Lazio have all had good transfer windows, while Juventus will be able to focus solely on the league as they’ve been banned from UEFA competitions this year. They, along with Milan, are the most plausible sides that will challenge for the title: Juventus have an established – if perhaps not well-liked – manager in Allegri, as well as a world-class front line (at least on paper), while AC Milan can count on a much-improved team with regards to last season, built essentially in totality with the sale of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle. The additions of Pulisic, Chukwueze, Okafor and Reijnders have added much-needed squad depth to the Rossoneri, while Juventus will likely need to move further on transfer market in the following weeks if they are to really pose a threat to Napoli, Inter and more.
Juventus to win Serie A – 4.50
AC Milan to win Serie A – 5.80
Juventus to make Top 4 – 2.25
AC Milan to make Top 4 – 3.00
Outsiders Roma and Lazio will also have their say, with both of their star managers starting their third year at the club. Roma will need to strengthen their frontline after renewing (and very much improving) their central areas with the arrivals of Aouar, Paredes and Renato Sanches. Lazio, on the other hand, after surprisingly finishing the 2023 season in 2nd place, have lost star player Milinkovic Savic to Arabia’s allure, but have added young talents to their squad that will help them to perform both in Serie A and in the Champions League, where the club have returned for only the second time in over a decade. Neither Roman club will likely challenge for the Scudetto, but they are certainly in with a shot to upset the big boys and reach the top 4 spots.
AS Roma to make Top 4 – 6.00
Lazio to make Top 4 – 8.00
