Leverkusen's last season's victory does not ensure supremacy here this time. Pre-season challenges point to a decline; their Europa League final loss exposes a discrepancy between local and European performance. Dortmund presents a fantastic opportunity. Leverkusen may find the Champions League distracting, while Bayern is in rebuilding phase. Dortmund must concentrate on savvy team management, though, if it is to grab the title: properly integrate fresh talent and steer clear of shipping off important players to the vultures of larger clubs. This season is about flexibility and strategic depth rather than only who's the greatest on paper. Dortmund must be merciless since this is a merciless, tactical fight. They have to foresee and outmaneuver; they cannot afford to react
The Champions League will take quite a lot of energy from Bayer, yes, last season they also played in the Europa League, but it was a competition of a different level, and the opponents were weaker. Even before the final in the playoffs, everything was not easy for them, but the match with Atalanta showed that the team is not as perfect as they thought. The new season will definitely be more difficult for Bayer, I think the group stage will be enough to see what they are capable of, there will be quite strong opponents.