Sky expert Dietmar Hamann views Borussia Dortmund as the only serious competitor to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race this season. The former Germany international shared his thoughts with WEB.DE ahead of the league's opening weekend.
Hamann stated plainly, "Kann mir vorstellen, dass Dortmund Bayern ärgern kann." He bases this view on Dortmund's recent transfer activity, believing their attacking play can be enlivened relatively quickly by the new signings. Dortmund finished last season as runners-up with 73 points from 34 games and a goal difference of +36. They ended the campaign 16 points behind the champions.
Which new signings strengthen Dortmund?
Borussia Dortmund have bolstered their squad with several additions this summer. These include young attacking players Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias. Karetsas is noted for his excellent ball control and first touch. Konstantelias made a good impression after coming on as a substitute in a friendly, initiating a goal.
The more experienced midfielder Joey Veerman has also joined BVB. These reinforcements are intended to give the team more variability in attack. The club is currently preparing for their first match of the season against Hamburger SV. This home game takes place on Saturday at 18:30 and will be broadcast live on Sky. You can view the current squad on our squad page.
How does Hamann rate the competition?
Dietmar Hamann describes the Bundesliga as a very physical league, probably directly behind the Premier League. Besides Dortmund and Bayern, he highlights VfB Stuttgart as a strong competitor. Stuttgart won the DFB-Pokal in 2025 and also reached the final last season. Bayern Munich open their season against this opponent on Friday at 20:30.
Hamann also mentions Bayer Leverkusen, who won the championship two years ago. In the Champions League, he considers Real Madrid under new coach José Mourinho and Barcelona with reinforcements like Rodri as serious contenders. Paris Saint-Germain are the defending champions, having eliminated Bayern in last season's semi-finals.
Who is fighting against relegation?
The Sky expert has a clear opinion on the relegation candidates. He sees Hamburger SV, Dortmund's first opponent, in the middle of the table. "I think they will finish around 12th, 13th, or 14th place," said Hamann. HSV lost important player Luka Vušković and have not yet made Fábio Vieira's loan permanent. However, they strengthened with several new signings, including some from France.
Hamann names newly-promoted SC Paderborn and SV Elversberg as clear outsiders for direct relegation. The battle to avoid the drop will be tense around direct competitor Werder Bremen. The club brought back Niclas Füllkrug, who previously played for Borussia Dortmund, West Ham United, and AC Milan. Hamann doubts his impact, however: "Ob Füllkrug jetzt aber derjenige ist, der Werder auf Platz zehn, zwölf oder 13 schießt, wage ich zu bezweifeln." Bremen also lost promising talent Karim Coulibaly. Hamann predicts a 16th-place finish for Bremen and suggests 30 points might be enough for the relegation playoff spot.
What does this mean for the season opener?
Borussia Dortmund enter the new season with the aim of challenging Bayern Munich. Edin Terzić's team wants to close the 16-point gap from last season. The first test against Hamburger SV on Saturday at Signal Iduna Park will provide an initial direction. The full season schedule is available on our fixtures page.
The Bundesliga kicks off this Friday. For Dortmund, after the opener against HSV, attention will turn to the current standings once the first results are in. The team aims to continue the positive form from the end of last season, which concluded with a win, and apply pressure on the record champions from the very start.
