By Rich
The 2019-2020 Bundesliga season opened on Friday with a thrilling 2:2 tie between hosts FC Bayern München and visitors Hertha Berlin. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski scored the first goal of the season in the 24th minute, but Hertha’s Dodi Lukebakio quickly evened the score in the 36th minute. Hertha then pulled ahead in the match with a goal from Marko Grujic, and Bayern secured a draw in the 60th minute off a penalty kick from Lewandowski. This was the first time in 8 years that Bayern failed to win their opening fixture of the season, and the first time since 2002 that the reigning Bundesliga champions have lost on Matchday 1. 2 of the newcomers to the 1. Bundesliga this season will play on Saturday, when 1. FC Köln travel to Wolfsburg and SC Paderborn travel to Leverkusen. The Köln-Wolfsburg fixture will, unusually, feature 2 new coaches: Köln is now coached by Achim Beierlorzer, who previously had the job with the 2. Bundesliga’s Jahn Regensburg, while new Wolfsburg coach Oliver Glasner will try to lead his club to another top-6 finish. Wolfsburg are unbeaten in their last 6 matches in the Volkswagen Arena against Köln, but Köln have lost just 1 of their last 7 meetings, and Köln’s Anthony Modeste has 6 goals in 8 games against Wolfsburg - more than against any other Bundesliga club. Newly promoted Paderborn will have their hands full when they travel to Leverkusen, who have won 5 of their last 6 matches and finished in the top 4 last season, clinching the last UEFA Champions League spot. All 3 of Leverkusen’s top scorers, Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, and Leon Bailey, found the net in Leverkusen’s 4:1 DFB Cup win over Alemannia Aachen. Paderborn barely won their DFB match against 4th-tier Rödinghausen, and will have to contend with losing top scorer Philipp Klement to VfB Stuttgart and Bernard Tekpetey to Fortuna Düsseldorf. The 2 clubs have only ever met twice, in the 2014-15 season, and the match in Leverkusen that year ended in a 2:2 draw. Also on Saturday, Dortmund will host Augsburg, and Dortmund, reinforced with newcomers Nico Schulz, Thorgan Hazard, and Julian Brandt, is clearly hungry for the league title this season. Augsburg finished 4th from the bottom last season and have already lost in the DFB Cup against 4th-tier club Verl, but are hoping for support from new goaltender Tomas Koubek, who joined from French club Rennes over the summer, and Florian Niederlechner. The 1. Bundesliga’s other newcomer-club this season, 1. FC Union Berlin, will host RB Leipzig on Sunday.
The 2019-2020 Bundesliga season opened on Friday with a thrilling 2:2 tie between hosts FC Bayern München and visitors Hertha Berlin. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski scored the first goal of the season in the 24th minute, but Hertha’s Dodi Lukebakio quickly evened the score in the 36th minute. Hertha then pulled ahead in the match with a goal from Marko Grujic, and Bayern secured a draw in the 60th minute off a penalty kick from Lewandowski. This was the first time in 8 years that Bayern failed to win their opening fixture of the season, and the first time since 2002 that the reigning Bundesliga champions have lost on Matchday 1. 2 of the newcomers to the 1. Bundesliga this season will play on Saturday, when 1. FC Köln travel to Wolfsburg and SC Paderborn travel to Leverkusen. The Köln-Wolfsburg fixture will, unusually, feature 2 new coaches: Köln is now coached by Achim Beierlorzer, who previously had the job with the 2. Bundesliga’s Jahn Regensburg, while new Wolfsburg coach Oliver Glasner will try to lead his club to another top-6 finish. Wolfsburg are unbeaten in their last 6 matches in the Volkswagen Arena against Köln, but Köln have lost just 1 of their last 7 meetings, and Köln’s Anthony Modeste has 6 goals in 8 games against Wolfsburg - more than against any other Bundesliga club. Newly promoted Paderborn will have their hands full when they travel to Leverkusen, who have won 5 of their last 6 matches and finished in the top 4 last season, clinching the last UEFA Champions League spot. All 3 of Leverkusen’s top scorers, Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, and Leon Bailey, found the net in Leverkusen’s 4:1 DFB Cup win over Alemannia Aachen. Paderborn barely won their DFB match against 4th-tier Rödinghausen, and will have to contend with losing top scorer Philipp Klement to VfB Stuttgart and Bernard Tekpetey to Fortuna Düsseldorf. The 2 clubs have only ever met twice, in the 2014-15 season, and the match in Leverkusen that year ended in a 2:2 draw. Also on Saturday, Dortmund will host Augsburg, and Dortmund, reinforced with newcomers Nico Schulz, Thorgan Hazard, and Julian Brandt, is clearly hungry for the league title this season. Augsburg finished 4th from the bottom last season and have already lost in the DFB Cup against 4th-tier club Verl, but are hoping for support from new goaltender Tomas Koubek, who joined from French club Rennes over the summer, and Florian Niederlechner. The 1. Bundesliga’s other newcomer-club this season, 1. FC Union Berlin, will host RB Leipzig on Sunday.
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