Why Borussia Dortmund could be a good pick to challenge Bayern Munich

Niko Kovac led his team to a strong finish last season. Bayer Leverkusen may struggle under new management, creating an opportunity for Dortmund.

Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Dortmund’s strong finish

Dortmund finished fourth in the 2024/25 season, behind Bayern, Leverkusen, and Eintracht Frankfurt. Although their slow start to the campaign hurt them, they recovered strongly, having won nine of their last 11. The Germans were also only narrowly beaten by Real Madrid in the Club World Cup earlier this month.

Therefore, there’s a significant reason for optimism among Die Borussen supporters, who haven’t seen their team lift a trophy since 2021. Losing Jamie Gittens to Chelsea didn’t hurt them, as he didn’t feature too much towards the end of the campaign. Serhou Guirassy is staying, and as long as he remains in their squad, they have a chance.

Jobe Bellingham has joined, hoping to follow in his older brother’s footsteps, and Yan Couto has bolstered their backline. Kovac was pleased with their form in the latter half of last season, including their European progress. Reaching the semi-finals and beating Barcelona in one of the legs was a major achievement that they can build on.

It is still unclear whether they’ve got enough to surpass Bayern as champions, and it is probably a tough challenge. However, they do have the quality to make a bigger challenge and move ahead of teams like Leverkusen and Frankfurt. Especially given Die Werkself’s situation this summer.

Leverkusen’s squad changes

Leverkusen became a formidable team under Xabi Alonso. After winning the title in 2023/24, they comfortably secured second place last season. Moreover, Alonso has ended their long wait for a trophy, and players performed exceptionally well at the BayArena. However, all good things come to an end.

They’ve lost crucial players like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Jonathan Tah this summer. On top of that, their manager has moved to Spanish powerhouses, Real Madrid. Losing any of them would hurt a club, let alone all four.

Erik ten Hag has arrived as his replacement and is working to ensure that no other players leave. They haven’t started well, as they’ve suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Flamengo in a friendly match this month. There is concern that Ten Hag might struggle to implement his style, as was the situation with Manchester United.

Dortmund are the best-placed team to take over from Leverkusen as Bayern’s main challengers. Also, they’ve still got time to strengthen further. Kovac’s men gained more points in the last 10 Bundesliga games, taking their total to 25, which is more than any other team. Therefore, they will want to continue this strong performance. A striker like Guirassy, who scored 38 times last season, will certainly help them.

Meanwhile, over in Frankfurt, Die Adler are set to lose their biggest goal threat as Hugo Ekitike prepares to join Liverpool. His 22 goals in 2024/25 were a significant part of their success. He will leave along with Omar Marmoush for the Premier League. Will they be able to succeed with both of them gone?

Dortmund have a continuity that teams like Leverkusen and Frankfurt don’t. This is why they could challenge for silverware once again.