Bundesliga Odds - Bayern is set to reclaim German title

It looks like a soccer betting cakewalk in the German Bundesliga this season, as Bayern Munich are the overwhelming favorites in 2009-10. After losing out last season to Wolfsburg, bet on Bayern to take their competition more seriously.

Bundesliga odds: All Bayern, all year in Germany

• Strong forwards and midfield makes up for suspect defense
  
• Schalke, Werder will struggle to score goals
  
• Stuttgart should leapfrog the rest of the pack

With new coach Louis van Gaal at the helm, Bayern are the massive favorites at -137, and their big offseason news concerned midfielder Franck Ribery, who spurned moves to Real Madrid and Manchester United to stay in Germany. Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mark van Bommel are a solid midfield trio, while the strike force is powered by Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, but they could miss Lukas Podolski, who was sold to his former club, Koln. Michael Rensing did a decent job replacing Bayern legend Oliver Kahn in his first year as the first-choice keeper, but he struggled at home a bit.

FC Schalke 04 is next at +1100, and they scored the fewest goals of any team that finished in the top 10 last year. This means someone will have to help leading scorer Kevin Kuranyi up front. On the opposite end of the pitch, Schalke also allowed the fewest goals of anyone in the top 10, as Manuel Neuer marshals an efficient defense. Schalke may have also pulled off the coup of the offseason by snatching Felix Magath from Wolfsburg after he led them to the league title.

Werder Bremen could be in big trouble this year with soccer lines of +1500, as they lost Claudio Pizarro (back to Chelsea after a loan) and Diego (sold to Juventus). This duo combined for 29 of Werder’s 64 goals last year. Former player Tim Borowski returns from Bayern to shore up a shaky midfield, while Tim Weise will look to bounce back from a subpar year between the sticks.

Wolfsburg are listed at +1600 to retain their title, but the loss of Magath piles a heap of pressure on new manager Armin Veh, who won the league with Stuttgart in 2006-07. Edin Dzeko and Grafite may be the best strike pair you’ve never heard of, combining for 56 of Wolfsburg 80 goals. There’s the problem with Wolfsburg: if those two are kept off the scoresheet, the opposition has a very good chance at winning. Dzeko isn’t happy after missing out on a move to A.C. Milan, so it’ll be interesting to see where his head is.

Hamburg are the last of the major betting contenders at +1700, and they lost Ivica Olic’s 10 goals to Bayern. Eljero Elia joins the club from Dutch side FC Twente, and he’ll link up with Mladen Petric. For improvement this year, Hamburg needs to be better on the road, where they had nine losses.

Stuttgart could surprise some at +2200, and they managed to convince former player Alexander Hleb to join them on loan from Barcelona instead of going to Inter Milan, which was a major coup for a team that lost 24-goal scorer Mario Gomez to, you guessed it, Bayern Munich. Jens Lehmann is still a decent option as your No.1 keeper, and they’ll make it to Europe, but a lack of goals should keep them out of the top spot.

TODD’S PICK: Bayern have won six of the last 10 league titles, and there is no reason to doubt them for their seventh. Van Gaal has won a Champions League and two Spanish titles, so he knows how to win. With Gomez in the fold, there should be goals aplenty. Losing Ze Roberto to Hamburg and Lucio to Inter may hurt a little, but they’ll be able to outscore their opponents more often than not. The battle for second will be more exciting than anything, so you should look for Schalke and Wolfsburg to fight it out. Still, for the championship, choose Bayern Munich in your offshore sportsbook.

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Are you a fan of “The Beautiful Game”? Then you should try Todd Shale's “Beautiful Picks”. Though he enjoys a good rugby match, Todd is happiest when he can handicap a great soccer match - or football match, as he prefers to call it. Thoughts or questions?