Bayern for the Bundesliga

The German football season got under way this Saturday with Bayern Munich a best-priced 8/13 to win back the title they relinquished last season and given the amount of cash they have splashed this summer it's difficult to see beyond Ottmar Hitzfeld's men sweeping all before them. Bayern suffered their worst league campaign for eleven years last term, finishing fourth in the Bundesliga and missing out on a Champions League place. To right the ship they have spent £50m on new players and the quality they have brought in is already showing signs of blossoming. Germany strikers Miroslav Klose, Jan Schlaudraff and Italy's Luca Toni have been added to an attack that already boasts Lukas Podolski, while the gifted Franck Ribery will wreak havoc thoughout German defences. The French winger has already scored twice in his side's recent League Cup success, which saw the Munich outfit trounce Werder Bremen 4-1, beat champions Stuttgart and edge out FC Schalke 1-0 in the final. And they're still only warming up. Bayern's failings last year made for a thrilling season's finale as Stuttgart took the title on the final day but they will struggle to match the achievements of last year, particularly with the added distraction of Champions League football. They have signed Brazilian midfielder Ewerthon but the loss of dependable defender Matthieu Delpierre to injury for six weeks may leave them with too much catching up to do to defend their title. The other two main title contenders are FC Schalke and Werder Bremen. Even though he had a poor season by his own standards last season, Klose will be sorely missed by Bremen, who have also lost Torsten Frings for six months with a knee injury. Bremen may have completed the club record signing of Carlos Alberto and brought in Ivory Coast striker Boubacar Sanogo but in terms of them competing this year it's a no go. Schalke will most likely run Bayern the closest. They conceded the least goals of all last season and have rewarded their steely central defensive partnership of Marcelo Bordon and Mladen Krstajic with new deals. Defender Heiko Westermann, promising midfielder Ivan Rakitic and Eintracht Frankfurt captain Jermaine Jones have also joined the club for whom Kevin Kuranyi remains a potent goal threat up front but with Hamit Altintop having also been lured away by the advances of Bayern it seems that all roads, and maybe all trophies, will lead to Munich this term. To win Bundesliga: Bayern 8/13 (General); Werder Bremen 6/1 (Sporting Odds); FC Schalke 11/1 (Stan James), Stuttgart 18/1 (Betfair) Top Bundesliga goalscorer: Klose (Bayern) @ 4/1 (SkyBet); Toni (Bayern) @ 9/2 (SkyBet); Frei (Dortmund) @ 11/1 (Paddy Power); Mario Gomez (Stuttgart) @ 12/1 (General); Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke) @ 12/1 (General) Verdict: 1pt Bayern to win Uefa Cup @ 5/1 (Ladbrokes)