Chelsea’s upset loss to Dinamo Zagreb on the first day of Champions League group stage action Tuesday likely wrecked a few parlays. But hey, it happens.
For those ready to get back on that horse, I put together a brand new parlay of winners for the second day of group stage play.
Wednesday’s matches kick off with afternoon games between Ajax Amsterdam and Rangers, and Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP, followed by six more games at 3 p.m. ET. And while some include have heavy favorites, like Barcelona against Viktoria Plzen, others are much harder to predict.
No worries. I did the work for you to put together the best parlay from these games with odds from Tipico Sportsbook.
Advice for Frankfurt fans: Bayern doesn’t need any help
Bayern Munich scored the first goal of the Bundesliga season, arguably with an assist from Eintracht Frankfurt fans.
Barely five minutes into their opening match, Joshua Kimmich sized up a 30-yard free kick. Frankfurt fans, in their excitement, had let off plenty of smoke, but this proved to be a mistake. Kimmich couldn’t help but notice the white cloud fogging the penalty area, and decided to just have a go and hope no one noticed.
It worked perfectly. Kimmich sent his shot around the wall, and Kevin Trapp—whether due to the smoke, or because he was anticipating a service towards Bayern’s runners on the other side of the box—reacted too late to get anywhere close to a save.
It was a nightmare start for Frankfurt, and the game devolved from there. Bayern rampaged through the rest of the first half, walking into the locker room up 5-0 against the defending Europa League champions, who finished solidly mid-table last season.
How will Bayern and Borussia Dortmund fair without their top scorers? Which young USMNT hopeful will emerge in time for the World Cup? And what’s next for defender John Brooks?
ESPN Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae shared his thoughts on the upcoming season with detailed insight into the latest news around the league.
Pro Soccer Wire: What does the “new Bayern” look like this season without Lewandowski?
Derek Rae: For years Bayern have relied on Robert Lewandowski. They’ve played with him as the main attacking station. I think what we’re going to see now is less emphasis on a number nine, and maybe more flexible attacking. We got a glimpse of that at the weekend during Bayern’s 5-3 DFL Super Cup win over RB Leipzig. We saw this with Bayern having some of the sweeping counterattacks.
Sadio Mané is going to be front and center as part of that new style. They have a number of attackers, who you would say are dribblers, are speedy, are dynamic. In a funny kind of way, no longer having Lewandowski, might actually make Bayern better to watch. We are going to see Bayern tackle this in a different way. I don’t think there’ll be one goalscorer who has 25-30 goals. I think it will be a case of spreading the wealth.
Photo by Ronny HARTMANN/AFP
PSW: Can Bayern’s attack succeed without Lewandowski attracting all the pressure?
Rae: We’re going to find out. What I do think is that this new dynamism of a different look and attack is going to benefit a lot of the players who found themselves frustrated about last season.
If you think about it, when you have Lewandowski and you have Thomas Muller it limits the number of other players you can work into the starting XI. Under Julian Nagelsmann last season, you had wide players like Kingsley Coman or Leroy Sane or Serge Gnabry – two of those three. Now, we’re going to see more of those players playing week-in and week-out. It’s good news for somebody like Jamal Musiala, who I think is the brightest young talent in German football and one of the brightest talents in world football. His difficulty was that he couldn’t get into the team regularly. This will leave more scope for a player like Musiala to play, not as a nine because that’s not what he is, but as one of the other supporting roles in attack.
PSW: Sadly, Sebastian Haller will miss at least two months after undergoing surgery for a tumor. What does that mean for Borussia Dortmund’s attack?
Rae: Aside from football, I’m sure everybody will wish him well. But it is a slight problem for Dortmund because they were depending on him to be the focal point of the attack. He’s not the same as Erling Haaland (who left for Manchester City) in terms of style, but he’s a handful and he’s somebody who does know the Bundesliga.
The player who I think the fans will become very familiar with, if they’re not already, is Karim Adeyemi. The young German international striker has played four times already for Germany. He’s not a pure center forward, but he’s somebody who loves to take on defenders and can score spectacular goals. He will fit the Dortmund style very quickly.
Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images
And also, as a defender, we should mention Nico Schlotterbeck who’s another German international. He’s somebody who will improve the Dortmund defense, which does need improving. And they already have Jude Bellingham, who, like Musiala, is one of the outstanding talents anywhere in the world. Edin Terzić is a new old coach because he was in charge two seasons ago. He’s a Dortmund guy to the core. He grew up supporting the club, and he’s passionate. I think he strikes a chord with some of these younger players.
Americans in the Bundesliga
PSW: What can we expect with Gio Reyna’s return, especially without Haaland to feed assists to?
Rae: Dortmund are very cautious about pushing him too hard early on. After the nightmare situations last season when he left the field in tears on a couple of separate occasions, there’s a determination with regard to everybody in Dortmund to not let it happen again – to not make him run before he can walk.
Now he did play at the weekend in a friendly match that Dortmund had against Antalyaspor of Turkey and had some good moments in that game. But I think your other question, about the change of approach, that’s something he’s going to have to get used to. Certainly, he had a good rapport with Haaland both on and off the pitch, but I think he can have a rapport with the other attacking players. When he does come back, I think Dortmund will be asking Reyna to take on even more responsibility because they do rate him very highly. They know that he’s extremely gifted, but there’s just that worry. I think that if they let him loose before it’s time, then the same thing could happen again.
PSW: Does the transfer of FC Augsburg leading goalscorer Michael Gregoritsch open up an opportunity for Ricardo Pepi?
Rae: Without Gregoritsch goals in the second half of the season, I don’t think Augsburg would still be a Bundesliga club. I think he was that important to them. For things in Pepi’s favor, they have a new coach in Enrico Maassen, who comes from the Dortmund setup where he was the coach of the second team. So he’s used to improving young players. He also favors a system that has two strikers. Much of the time, sometimes it’s three, but two wide players and one through the middle. We’ll see what he does with Augsburg. With Pepi, the early signs are he’s probably not going to be in the starting 11 straightaway, but he will get opportunities.
Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images
PSW: Julian Green was in the Bundesliga when he became a World Cup surprise at the end of 2014 qualifying. Do you see any players who could pop up come November?
Rae: I’m glad you mentioned Julian Green because, actually, I think he’s somebody who’s been forgotten about, and unfairly. The second division in Germany is a good standard. I would argue that in some respects, it’s a better test of a player than MLS. I’m not going to say that it’s better from top to bottom than MLS, but the standard within the league is more even. Now, Julian Green doesn’t really need to prove anything. He’s been around for a long time, but he can still play and he’ll be important for Greuther Fürth in the second division this season. I fear that maybe he’s never going to get looked at again for the U.S. But I’d hope he would because I don’t think he should be finished with consideration for the national team.
As far as some of the other players are concerned, Joe Scally with Borussia Mönchengladbach. I’ve spoken to him. His big dream is to be at the World Cup this year. He knows he’s got to be playing, and that is going to be the challenge at Gladbach. As things stand going into the season, he’s probably not the first choice on the right-hand side. He’s going to try to force his way in or at least get some minutes off the bench. He’s got a great attitude, a hunger for success. George Bello is still in Germany, but now in the second division playing for Arminia Bielefeld. I actually think that’s quite good for him. I think that playing regularly in that testing ground will be a benefit to his career and in the grand scheme of things.
And Jordan Pefok, who goes by Siebatcheu in Germany, was definitely signed to be a regular frontman for Union Berlin. The difficulty for him is that he’s having to fill pretty big shoes in terms of those of Taiwo Awoniyi, who really carried Union to a large extent in the attack. But Siebatcheu is playing for a good team, a well-organized club that has signed well again during the summer. He’ll be playing European football for them, too. So I think it’s just another level higher in his career, one that will benefit him and in turn will certainly benefit the USA.
Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images
PSW: Someone who has had a lot of the attention without being in regular USMNT lineups is John Brooks. He’s currently without a team. What do you see for him?
Rae: John Brooks still has many years ahead of him at a good level playing football. And I think there was some confusion last season about exactly how his season went at VfL Wolfsburg, as a final season there. It actually wasn’t a terrible season. It was a mixed bag. I would say he had a couple of pretty bad periods in it, but he sort of smoothed things out of the second half of the campaign. The only reason he’s not there anymore is that the two sides couldn’t come together on a deal. He was one of the higher earners there. Wolfsburg, like most German clubs, are constantly looking to replenish. If you have a 21-year-old who’s making a quarter of what the 29-year-old is making, then you’re going to put your hopes on the 21-year-old.
What we’re waiting to find out is who he is going to end up with. This comes down to money, and probably in realistic terms means taking a fairly sizable pay cut if he wants to continue in the Bundesliga. But I suspect from his side, he’s likely waiting to see which teams need what in central defense.
From my perspective, anyway, he’s somebody who I hope is playing regularly at a good level in European football in the months ahead because I feel that the USA needs his experience. I’ve heard all the talking about wanting to play a high line on the part of Gregg Berhalter. That’s great. I respect that. Every coach has got to do what he thinks is right, but I think there will be games at the World Cup where playing a high line will simply not be realistic. That would be asking for trouble to be doing that, especially in a knockout stage game. So that’s why I think you do need somebody like Brooks, who has been over the course before, who is a good guy. Everybody I’ve spoken to in German football said he’s a bit of a gentle giant, John Brooks. He’s not a disruptive influence at all. He’s a good, honest guy. It’s not my decision, but I would have thought there’s a strong case for John Brooks to be part of the squad.
Rae’s Bundesliga predictions
Top Four: Bayern Munich (winning an 11th consecutive league title), Bayern Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig
Can any team hope to slow Bayern down this season? We’ll start to find out on Friday
The 2022-23 Bundesliga season gets underway on Friday when defending champion Bayern Munich pays a visit to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bayern has been unstoppable in the league for a decade, and will be looking to win an incredible 11th straight Bundesliga title this season.
Eintracht, meanwhile, enters the season with plenty of optimism after winning the Europa League last season and reaching the Champions League this term as a result.
Can any team hope to slow Bayern down this season? We’ll start to find out on Friday. Here are three reasons why it’s worth tuning in, followed by more information about the game.
1. Mario Götze is back!
It’s hard to believe that Mario Götze only just turned 30 earlier this summer. The scorer of the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final has been around forever, going from wonderkid at Borussia Dortmund to big-money Bayern Munich signing, then back to Dortmund and, most recently, Dutch outfit PSV.
Götze is now back in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, joining the club along with a host of other new faces as it gears up for Champions League competition this season.
2. How will Bayern’s new faces fit in?
Yes, Robert Lewandowski has departed, but Bayern is arguably still stronger now than it was at the end of last season.
The main reason is the club’s two headline signings in the summer: Sadio Mané and Matthijs de Ligt, with Mané set to help fill the scoring void Lewandowski left behind.
Bayern also added a pair of up-and-comers from Ajax in Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch, as well as French wonderkid Mathys Tel. Suffice it to say, Julian Nagelsmann will still have a world of talent at his disposal in the post-Lewandowski era.
3. Does anybody stand a chance at dethroning Bayern?
The past decade has been glorious for Bayern, but there is genuine concern about the Bundesliga’s transformation into a monopoly.
The last non-Bayern champion of the league was Jurgen Klopp-led Borussia Dortmund in 2011-12. That is an eternity for one of the top leagues in the world.
The title won’t be decided in week one, of course, but Eintracht taking points from Bayern could provide an early-season boost to potential title challengers. Could the Bavarians, shorn of Lewandowski, be dethroned in 2022-23? It still seems unlikely, but the likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and others will certainly be watching the opener closely.
When is Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich?
The match will kick off on Friday, August 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
How can I watch Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich?
The Bundesliga kickoff match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
With that backdrop, Lewandowski returned to Munich on Tuesday to bid farewell to his former teammates and staff. Bayern took the chance to try and smooth over what had until recently been an extremely productive relationship between the two sides.
“It was nice of Robert to come by my office one last time,” Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn told the club’s official website. “We chatted about everything, left on good terms and will stay in contact in the future. Robert and FC Bayern was and is a special success story. We wish him all the best at FC Barcelona.”
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic added: “Robert came into my office to say goodbye and we spoke for another 15 minutes. I addressed everything and we’ve cleared it all up. Robert achieved great things for FC Bayern, and that’s what should be remembered. He also knows how much he has to thank FC Bayern for. We’ve wished him all the best for his new challenge.”
As Lewandowski’s car sped away from Bayern’s offices, some observers let the striker know they hadn’t forgotten about his acrimonious departure – and attempted to let him know they will now be rooting for his new club’s bitter rivals.
Robert Lewandowski left Bayern Munich for Barcelona, but the emotions are still pretty raw, with the Poland striker criticizing his old club for providing fans with a “not true” explanation of why he left.
Speaking to ESPN, Lewandowski referred to “a lot of politics” being involved in how his final weeks at Bayern went down. “The club tried to find an argument why they can sell me to another club because before it was difficult to explain maybe to the fans. And I had to accept that even though it was a lot of bulls—, a lot of s— said about me. Not true, but in the end I knew that the fans, even in this period, still support me a lot.”
Lewandowski pushed back against one rumor, which held that he left Bayern over their rumored pursuit of Erling Haaland, who ended up at Manchester City instead.
His push to leave had “nothing to do with Erling,” according to Lewandowski. “I don’t want to speak about what happened exactly. But if the question is if the decision to move was because of him? No, I didn’t see the problem if he joined Bayern Munich.”
Lewandowski wasn’t prepared to specify exactly who at Bayern had lied about him, but he did clarify that it wasn’t anyone within the squad. “I had a very good relationship with my teammates, with the staff, with the coach, and these are all things I’m going to miss because I spent a beautiful time there,” said Lewandowski. “We were not only friends from the pitch but also something more. But in the end this chapter is over and I open a new chapter in my life and a new chapter in my career.
“Some kind of people doesn’t say to me the truth, say something different. And for me it was always important to be clear, to stay true, and maybe for a few people that was the problem. And in the end I know that something doesn’t work well with my person as well and I knew that, OK I see and I feel that maybe it’s a good time to move out of Bayern Munich and join Barcelona.”
The defender becomes the fourth USMNT player to move to the Premier League this summer
U.S. national team defender Chris Richards has completed a transfer to Crystal Palace from Bayern Munich.
The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Palace, becoming the fourth USMNT player to move to the Premier League this summer after Matt Turner, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.
“I grew up watching the Premier League and grew up of course watching [Wilfried] Zaha, so it’ll be cool to spend some time on the field with them [the Palace players] and be a part of this historic club. I’m really excited for it,” Richards told Palace’s official website.
“The kind of project I’ve seen [attracted me]. It’s a lot of young players but also young players who have a lot of fight. Palace is a club that seems like they’re always fighting.”
Richards originally joined Bayern from FC Dallas in 2018 after a successful trial. He made 10 total appearances for Bayern’s senior team but established himself as a regular at Hoffenheim over two separate loans during the past two seasons.
There was plenty of reported interest in Richards this summer as it became clear Bayern was open to a sale. Several Premier League teams and Hoffenheim were reported to be in the mix, but Patrick Vieira’s Palace has won the race for Richards.
The hype around Mathys Tel is real. Will it be justified?
Bayern Munich signing a promising teenager from France would have normally been a routine transaction, but the fee the German side paid for Mathys Tel made Monday’s transfer something different entirely.
Should Bayern pay the full amount for Tel, it would make him the most expensive 17-year-old of all time, surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s €25m outlay on Jude Bellingham in 2020.
So, will Tel live up to his fee?
Based on his track record of senior-team action, it’s impossible to say. Tel made his professional debut with Rennes last season but across 10 appearances, he played less than 100 minutes.
But it is at the youth level where Tel has marked himself as one of Europe’s best prospects. Earlier this season, he captained France’s Under-17 side to a European title, scoring three goals in the tournament.
Mathys Tel (2005) absolutely dominated the U17 Euros earlier this summer as France lifted the trophy.
Perhaps Bayern looked at its Bundesliga rival Dortmund for inspiration. After paying a record fee for Bellingham, Dortmund now has one of the top midfielders in Europe who, at age 19, is likely worth at least four times what it paid.
Should Tel be anywhere near the value that Bellingham was, then Bayern may have a bargain on its hands.
“I think maybe it’s a bit disrespectful for the other club”
Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has called Bayern Munich’s public flirtation with a move for Harry Kane “disrespectful.”
Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann and CEO Oliver Kahn both hinted at their club’s interest in the Spurs striker last week, which clearly rankled with Conte.
Speaking at a press conference over the weekend, Conte said: “For sure I’m a coach who doesn’t talk about players from other teams.
“I don’t know why [this happened]. The situation at Tottenham is very clear. The plan is very clear with the club. Harry is a part of the project. He is a very important part of the project and yeah, only rumors.
“At the same time, I don’t like to speak about players from another club. If I want to do something I go to speak to the club, not through the media.
“I think maybe it’s a bit disrespectful for the other club. This is my way. This is my way to face the situation with other players.”
What did Bayern say about Kane?
“He’s very expensive that’s the problem – but a brilliant player,” Nagelsmann said at a press conference. “He could score a lot in the Bundesliga, I don’t know the price, but it’s really tough for Bayern Munich. We’ll see what happens in the future.”
Speaking to Bild, Kahn said of Bayern’s reported interest in Kane: “He’s under contract with Tottenham. Sure, an absolute top striker, but that’s all a dream of the future.”
He added: “Now we have to look at getting the squad together for the current season. Let’s see what else happens.”
Kane, who nearly moved to Man City last summer before the transfer fell through at the last minute, has a contract with Spurs through 2024.
