“Champions League runners-up, Borussia Dortmund, might have had a less-than-stellar Bundesliga campaign last season, finishing fifth—their worst since the 2014/15 season—but their home form remains formidable.

At Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund lost just 24% of their matches, winning eight of their last eleven home fixtures. Their attack remains potent, averaging 2.18 goals per game across their last eight Bundesliga outings.

Although Eintracht Frankfurt finished just one spot behind Dortmund last season, the reality was far more lopsided, with a substantial 16-point gap separating the two sides. Frankfurt’s struggles on the road were evident, as they managed only one win in their last nine away games.

Their overall win rate of 32% drops to a paltry 24% when playing away from home, a reflection of their vulnerability on unfamiliar turf. Compounding their woes, Frankfurt’s defence proved fragile, conceding an average of 1.7 goals per away game—a weakness that will likely be exposed against a rejuvenated Dortmund side.

Dortmund, bolstered by a series of smart summer signings, looks poised to capitalise on Frankfurt’s frailties. The addition of midfield maestro Pascal Groß and prolific strikers Serhou Guirassy, who netted 28 goals last season, and Maximilian Beier, who chipped in with 16, adds considerable firepower to their ranks.

Historically, Dortmund has had the upper hand in this fixture, winning the last six encounters, making a Dortmund win seem highly likely.”

“Osasuna have recruited Vicente Moreno as their new manager for the upcoming season, replacing Jagoba Arrasate who took Osasuna from La Liga 2 dwellers to European competitors over a six-year reign.

He will return to the El Sadar Stadium here, but will be in the opposite dugout as Mallorca manager. Interestingly, Moreno also has history in this fixture, as he was the head coach of Mallorca back in 2017 and led the club from the third division to La Liga after back-to-back promotions.

He is likely to bring a more front-footed approach to Osasuna, exemplified by their opening fixture. Los Rojillos accrued 1.74 xGF from 16 shots in their season opener against Leganes. They got on the scoresheet via an own goal, but hit the woodwork twice and were unlucky to only come away with a draw.

Visitors Mallorca boasted one of the best defensive records last season, conceding just 44 goals from 38 league games. They were, however, much better at home compared to away. They conceded just 16 goals at home last season, compared to 28 on the road – a clean sheet rate of 16%.

Head-to-head games between these two finished 1-1 at the El Sadar Stadium, and 3-2 in Mallorca in favour of the hosts. Osasuna seem more attack-minded under their new manager, and will be looking to get on the scoresheet once more against Mallorca.”

“Lazio started the season off strongly, beating newly prompted Venezia 3-1 in their season opener. They were good value for it, creating a few really good chances and accumulating 2.33 xG compared to Venezia’s 0.79.

Udinese on the other hand just about mustered a 1-1 draw against Bologna, despite being on the back foot for most, if not all of the game. They conceded 22 shots, seven of which hit the target and were very fortunate Bologna’s forwards weren’t more clinical. In terms of expected points, Udinese’s 0.12 was the lowest of any side in Serie A.

There was a difference in quality between the sides last season and we expect that to extend further. Lazio finished eight places higher than Udinese, qualifying for the Europa League in seventh whilst Udinese narrowly avoided the drop, with just two points separating them and Serie B football.

Lazio have also won two of their last three clashes against Udinese, including the away leg last season.”