Bundesliga Betting: Evolving Bayern are favourites yet again

German Football / Michael Lintorn / 14 July 2011 / Leave a Comment

Germany defender Jerome Boateng is set to shore up Bayern's backline

"You have to go all the way back to between 1994 and 1996 to find the last example of two years passing by without Bayern being crowned champions."

Bayern Munich finished ten points shy of champions Borussia Dortmund last season - and even that only after a late flurry - but are favourites to regain the Bundesliga shield.

There have only been five occasions in the last 13 years in which Bayern Munich have failed to get their hands on the Bundesliga shield and such a disappointment never passes by without major action being taken to prevent a repeat.

That is why you have to go all the way back to between 1994 and 1996 to find the last example of two years passing by without them being crowned champions, though interestingly in that instance it was their current dethroners Borussia Dortmund that kept them away from top spot.

Bayern's latest attempt to rebuild has seen veteran tactician Jupp Heynckes return for a third spell having outperformed them with Bayer Leverkusen in 2010-11. The 66-year-old will be aware that this could be his last chance to add to the two titles that he won with the club over two decades ago.

On the pitch, midfielder Hamit Altintop and veteran striker Miroslav Klose, who hasn't replicated his international form at club level in recent years, have left on free transfers for Real Madrid and Lazio.

The majority of the big names are still there and look set to stay however, like Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller and last term's Bundesliga top scorer Mario Gomez.

In a bid to give those stars a better supporting cast, several additions have been made, with Manuel Neuer arriving in goal and his former Schalke team-mate Rafinha joining from Genoa. The backline is about to be strengthened further with a deal reached to sign Jerome Boateng from Manchester City.

Given the trouble Bayern have had finding forwards who consistently produce, they aren't gambling on Gomez delivering again, instead bringing in second-tier top scorer Nils Petersen, Japanese prodigy Takashi Usami and, most surprisingly, Tranmere's Dale Jennings, who is likely to start in the B team.

The consequence of all that is that they are as ever favourites to win the Bundesliga at [1.61], a long way clear of holders Borussia Dortmund at [6.4]. Odds of [22.0] are offered meanwhile on Heynckes claiming the Champions League trophy that he won with Real Madrid in 1997-98.

Kevin Hatchard previews three matches from the final round of Bundesliga games after a successful season of tipping...

Borussia Dortmund have already been crowned champions but with the attitude they've shown and the type of football they've been playing they're unlikely to stop winning anytime soon. Take advantage, says Kevin Hatchard....

It's been a pretty tough last six or seven years for Borussia Dortmund, who in different circumstances may have gone into adminstration rather than winning this year's Bundesliga. Richard Aikman explains how they did it....

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SPL Betting: Celtic favourites to win slowly evolving league

Scottish Football / Michael / 01 June 2011 / Leave a Comment

Celtic manager Neil Lennon salutes his captain Scott Brown after a goal against Rangers

"That Rangers were able to top the table with the largest points haul in six years at a time when they were bankrupt suggests that the gap won’t be closing any time soon."

Celtic haven't won the SPL in any of the last three seasons yet they are the early favourites to be crowned champions of Scotland in 2011-12 at [1.85], with Rangers [2.16] to sustain their dominance in the absence of Walter Smith, who is being replaced by rookie manager Ally McCoist.

But the loss to the league of a ten-time title winner is far from the main problem in Scottish football, as the owners of every SPL club strive to find a format that makes the division more interesting. It's a tricky task given that regardless of whether there are ten, 12 or 14 teams involved, there will still be two significantly stronger than all the others.

The idea of downsizing from 12 to ten is unworkable, according to promoted Dunfermline's chairman John Yorkston, who is unsurprisingly keen on a setup that boosts his side's chances of a sustained spell in the top-flight. His preferred plan is for there to be a pool of 14, though it remains to be seen whether having a dozen lambs to the slaughter will be more entertaining than ten.

So what can be done? One utterly outrageous concept that would understandably be laughed out of Glasgow by the Old Firm but would, in this writer's opinion, succeed in livening things up would be to make double points available against the Big Two, so that a draw against Celtic would gain Kilmarnock two points and a victory over Rangers would earn St Mirren four.

Of course, there's almost no incentive for either of the country's two giants to accept the proposal, however it would have the bonus benefit of preventing Neil Lennon from moaning about the rest of the league not performing to their potential against Rangers, as they'd never be short of motivation.

The other more plausible prospect that gets pundits talking is to march the Gers and Bhoys off into the English football pyramid, yet while that would undoubtedly make for a more competitive SPL, it would see both interest levels in the division and an already unflattering UEFA coefficient plummet.

That Rangers were able to top the table with the largest points haul in six years at a time when they were bankrupt suggests that the gap won't be closing any time soon. Further evidence that the Old Firm's pulling power is still relatively intact is provided by the fact that Reading star Shane Long is rumoured to be on the verge of snubbing Premier League suitors to join Celtic.

Neil Lennon's agent Martin Reilly is adamant that the Celtic boss won't be forced out of the club by those making his life hell, ahead of what promises to be a thrilling finale to a gripping SPL title race.

Something has to give at Parkhead this Sunday as both Celtic and Rangers put their 100% records on the line in a bid to top the SPL.......

Tobias Gourlay imagines that Neil Lennon's first-ever European tie as a manager will end in defeat....

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