New-look Dortmund aim to challenge Bayern
Last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund resume the chase to knock Bayern Munich from the top of the German league having made eight new signings — and losing a trio of stars.
Dortmund start their campaign at home to coach Thomas Tuchel’s ex-club Mainz on Saturday. But things looked bleak when captain Mats Hummels, then midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan announced, one after the other, that they were leaving during the close season.
But no other German club was as busy in the transfer market, with Dortmund quickly re-investing the 89.5 million euros they made in selling Hummels to Bayern, Gundogan to Man City and Mkhitaryan to Man United.
Bayern claimed a fourth straight league title last season, finishing ten points clear of Dortmund, whose points haul of 78 would have given them the title in 49 of the 53 Bundesliga seasons to date. WORDS OF WISDOM Ottmar Hitzfeld, who coached both Bayern and Dortmund during his career, expects Tuchel’s Borussia to give the Bavarians a run for their money again this season.
Both Bayern and Dortmund have qualified directly for the Champions League this season.
“I hope that Bayern won’t single-handedly win the title,” Hitzfeld told German radio.
“I am convinced: Dortmund will be serious competitors, they are chasing Bayern and have made very wise transfers.” FRESH LEGS The new signings include Germany forwards Andre Schuerrle and Mario Goetze, back at Dortmund after three years at Bayern where the World Cup winner was either blighted by injury or left on the bench by ex-Munich coach Pep Guardiola.
“I didn’t have easy at Bayern. I want to play as many matches as possible here, to get the most out of myself,” said Goetze. Having won the 2011 and 2012 Bundesliga titles with Dortmund, Goetze will be back in the black and yellow shirt with a point to prove.
Likewise, Schuerrle failed to win regular-starting places at either Chelsea, then Wolfsburg, for whom he scored nine goals in 14 league games at the end of last season.