Can Borussia Dortmund finally dethrone Bayern Munich this season?

Borussia Dortmund are in excellent shape heading into the new season, but can they end Bayern Munich’s reign and finally win the Bundesliga title?

After beating Bayern München in the DFL Supercup and beating KFC Uerdingen in the first round of the DFB Pokal, Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga campaign is set to be underway against Augsburg this Saturday at Signal Iduna Park. Following a flawless preseason and a very good display against Bayern in the Supercup, on top of the several signings in the off season, the optimism in Dortmund is very high for the upcoming season.

While of course it is only the beginning of the season and fans’ expectations can be somewhat unrealistic after the preseason and Supercup performances, Borussia Dortmund fans have legitimate reasons to expect great things this season from the Schwarzgelben.

With Bayern apparently struggling to sign their targets this summer, their squad looks thin. Former BVB striker and current Bayern München forward Robert Lewandowski has called for reinforcements. With Ivan Perišić reportedly on the way and the transfer window not closing in Germany until September 2, Bayern still have a few weeks to bring in reinforcements.

Other than Bayern, I do not expect any serious long lasting challengers against Borussia Dortmund to arise. While RB Leipzig has obtained the managerial services of Julian Nagelsmann, it does not look like they will be able to sustain a title challenge for the entirety of the season. While Bayer Leverkusen also look like top four hopefuls, but do not have enough quality and depth to pose a serious title challenge

So with the signings that Borussia Dortmund have made this summer, in addition to the weaker opposition this season, many supporters, including myself, expect it to be the year that we dethrone Bayern and raise die Meisterschale in May 2020.

Now that It looks like Dortmund has a decent to good back-up player for every position on the field, I expect Favre to do his best in getting as far as possible in the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. There hasn’t been this much quality and strength in depth at the Westfalenstadion since we won the double in the 2011-12 season. The team also has a great balance with a great blend of youth and experience.

While of course all the fans are dreaming of a treble, including myself, I do not think we have the experience in the squad to win the Champions League. I do expect BVB to get to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and gracefully bow out, with winning the Bundesliga undoubtedly higher on the priority list. Regarding the DFB Pokal, I do think we have the ability, depth, and experience to challenge on that front and win it in Berlin come next spring.

Having said all this, I am incredibly excited for the start of the Bundesliga, the new signings, what tactics Favre will employ, and how the players will adapt to those tactics and their new teammates. I hope all of us BVB fans will be singing “Wer ist Deutscher Meister…BVB Borussia” next May.