Bundesliga Matchday 1 Odds & Picks: RB Leipzig vs Mainz, Dortmund vs Frankfurt & More

• The Bundesliga schedule opens this weekend with a full slate of contests
• Andre Silva makes his Red Bull debut as Leipzig visit Mainz. Dortmund host Frankfurt as heavy favorites, and Union Berlin are narrow  underdogs vs visiting Bayer Leverkusen
• We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead as Bundesliga Matchday 1 action gets underway

The 2021/2022 Bundesliga campaign kicks off with a full slate of matches this weekend. Bundesliga Matchday 1 begins with Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayern Munich on Friday.

Borussia Dortmund tries to maintain the torrid form that marked last season’s stretch run as they host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday morning as -235 home favorites. RB Leipzig hope to have shaken off a late-season slide that bounced them from contention for top spot on the Bundesliga table last spring, as they visit Mainz as -275 chalk. And no clear favorite has emerged as Union Berlin gets set to host Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday sporting +180 odds.

Here’s a look at all the odds, trends, and best bets as Bundesliga Matchday 1 action gets underway.

Bundesliga Matchday 1 Odds

Odds at DraftKings as of August 12, 2021

Mainz vs RB Leipzig Prediction

Andre Silva makes his debut with RB Leipzig on Saturday in Bundesliga Matchday 1, as the Red Bulls open their Bundesliga schedule against Mainz.

Second only to Robert Lewandowski last season with 28 goals scored as a member of Eintracht Frankfurt, Silva signed with Leipzig this summer and is expected to give a boost to a Red Bulls’ offense that averaged just 1.76 goals per game last season. More importantly, Leipzig will be aiming to rebound after closing out last season with just one victory over their final six matches, forcing them to settle for second place on the league table.

Bundesliga's top goalscorers of 2020/21❗🏆 pic.twitter.com/Mr20ovgqB4

— Football Lovers (@FootballLov3ers) May 27, 2021

The Red Bulls finished 26 points ahead of Mainz last season, but have also struggled in recent visits to MEWA Arena, where they have posted just two wins in five overall meetings and surrendered three goals in three of their past four going into Sunday morning’s contest. Conversely, Mainz returns to action as intriguing +675 home underdogs after a successful offseason that featured wins in four of five outings in all competitions. The club finished strong last season, picking up at least a point in 10 of their final 11 contests, and on a 4-2-2 run at home.

The Picks: Mainz +1.5 (-130); Both teams to score (-110)

Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt Prediction

While the Red Bulls hope to take the next step with the addition of Silva, his former Frankfurt teammates look to fill the hole left by the departure of their budding star as they visit Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon in Bundesliga Matchday 1 as lengthy +575 underdogs.

Frankfurt made major gains last season, suffering just six defeats and falling just a single point shy of a UEFA Champions League berth. The club built its success by avoiding defeat on home turf, must find a way to reverse their dismal performance on the road last season, which they closed out with three losses in which they surrendered 11 total goals.

Three of the best for Erling Haaland 3️⃣pic.twitter.com/yHV40LiH8P

— GOAL (@goal) August 7, 2021

A continuation of that trend would be just fine with Dortmund, who powered their way into a third-place finish by closing out last season with seven straight victories, including four victories on home turf at Signal Iduna Park in which they averaged three goals per game.

Currently pegged as distant +700 second favorites in the Bundesliga futures, a fast start is crucial to Dortmund’s bid to keep pace with powerhouse Bayern Munich. That means another fast start for striker Erling Haaland, who opened last season with 10 goals in seven matches and is a solid -110 to either open or close the scoring on Saturday.

The Picks: Dortmund -1.5 (-105); Haaland to score first or last (-110)

Union Berlin vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction

Bayer Leverkusen opens their schedule on the road on Saturday in Bundesliga Matchday 1 against their closest rivals from last season, as they visit Union berlin as slim +160 favorites. After running neck and neck for much of the campaign, Leverkusen closed out the season one point up on Berlin, in sixth place. However, they struggled to pick up points away from home, scoring just one total goal over their final five road dates.

🎙 Seoane: "Union Berlin are a very strong team at home. They’ve only been in the Bundesliga the past few years, but have already established themselves as a fighting competitor. It will be important to go at them from the start and take on duels."

🔜 #FCUB04 #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/prToH4gjqP

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) August 13, 2021

Union Berlin aims to build on their steady advancement in just their second season in the Bundesliga with a solid seventh-place finish and their first-ever berth in European play.

While the club struggled at times with consistency, failing to tally consecutive wins in league play so far in 2021, they have been reliable on home turf at Stadion An der Alten Försterei, where they are undefeated in 16 straight league contests. Berlin also avoided defeat in a pair of dates with Leverkusen last season, including a 1-0 home win in mid-January.

The Picks: Union Berlin (+180); Under 2.5 (-105)