Borussia Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke says Bayern Munich are the “overwhelming favourites” to win the Bundesliga again this season, with the financial gap between Germany’s two leading clubs making it difficult for Dortmund to compete.
Bayern dominated the league last season, finishing 16 points ahead of second-placed Dortmund and scoring a competition-record 122 goals. Their success also saw Vincent Kompany become only the fourth manager to win the Bundesliga in each of his first two seasons, following Ernst Happel, Hansi Flick and Pep Guardiola.
The Munich club have strengthened further during the summer transfer window by signing Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown. England captain Harry Kane is also set to extend his stay at Allianz Arena.
Bayern have won 13 of the past 14 Bundesliga titles, underlining the scale of the challenge facing their rivals. They have already claimed an early victory over Dortmund this season, beating them 2-1 in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.
Watzke believes that result could be a sign of what lies ahead when the Bundesliga campaign gets under way.
“Well, you have to be honest, we had a good Bundesliga season last year and picked up 73 points,” Watzke told Sky Germany.
“In the past, that would have been enough to win the title. Today, that’s no longer the case because FC Bayern dominate everything.
“At Dortmund, there’s only so much we can do to change that, because the gap between Germany’s top two clubs has become so vast economically.
“So we shouldn’t kid ourselves – Bayern Munich are overwhelming favourites.”
Dortmund have taken a different approach to squad building this summer, focusing on young players. Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou have joined Niko Kovac’s squad as the club look to develop their team while attempting to close the distance to Bayern.
Despite collecting 73 points last season, Dortmund ended the campaign well behind the champions. Bayern’s record attacking output and commanding lead demonstrated how difficult it has become for any club to challenge their dominance over a full Bundesliga season.
Bayern’s latest title was also another landmark in a sustained period of domestic success. Their triumph extended a run in which they have won the league in 13 of the last 14 seasons, while Kompany joined an exclusive group of managers to secure the championship in both of his first two campaigns.
Dortmund will begin their Bundesliga campaign on Saturday when they host Hamburg at Signal Iduna Park. Before the league season has even started, however, Watzke has made clear that Bayern remain the benchmark and the team everyone else must overcome.
