Matthaus: Prediction: Bayern 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb, Real Madrid 2-0 Stuttgart

The new season of the Champions League is about to start, and German legend Matthaus predicts the scores of the first round of the Bundesliga participating teams in his personal column.

The Champions League is back, this time with a new format. I always like new things, just like I supported the UEFA Nations League from the beginning. There were many friendly matches at the national team level, and suddenly a new competition was created, and the big teams took it seriously, as we saw recently with the German team.

I am also looking forward to the new format of the Champions League because I understand from the beginning what the goal is. They no longer want to see the same favorites dominate the group, but give other clubs a chance to advance to the next round.

Of course, I think some of the first stage matches have the characteristics of a final. In the case of Bayern, I think of the games against Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but other big teams will also play against each other in the first stage.

A bad result in a game can mean that a team is overtaken by three, four or five teams. Everyone wants to get into the top eight, and in order to avoid falling into the play-offs, you have to do your homework very carefully.

And losing some games, the team ranked 28th can also enter the play-offs with a win, and no team can relax. I believe there will be a lot of changes in the Champions League rankings, which makes UEFA's new ideas more exciting.

My favorite teams are not necessarily in Germany, although these teams are also among the favorites. First of all, I think the defending champions Real Madrid and Manchester City are the biggest favorites. In my opinion, they have a little advantage because the two coaches Ancelotti and Guardiola have been in their respective clubs for a long time.

Following closely is Bayern. Leverkusen, Dortmund and Leipzig all have the opportunity to directly advance to the next round. On the other hand, you have fierce competition, and there are also Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Italian and Portuguese teams who want to go directly to the knockout stage.

There are many teams with strength and ambition to reach the final, but without the play-offs, they may not be able to advance to the knockout stage because there are too many top clubs, so the start is very important for every team.

Bayern plays at home against Dinamo Zagreb, which is the game with the least suspense. Dinamo Zagreb often participates in the Champions League, but usually goes out in the group stage. I predict Bayern to win Dinamo Zagreb 3-0.

Stuttgart performed very well last season and won the Champions League spot. However, they lost important players and are not as strong as last season. That's why I think Stuttgart has no chance to win in Madrid and predict Real Madrid to win Stuttgart 2-0.

Although three important players, Reus, Hummels and Felkrug, left, I think Dortmund is stronger than in the past few years. I believe that both the change of coach and the addition of new players are bringing changes. I have a good feeling about Dortmund and coach Sahin. I think he is doing a good job and showed maturity in the interview.

Dortmund is the favorite to win, but it will not be an easy game. Bruges has strength, good team spirit, and the stadium is small, but I predict Dortmund to win 2-1.

I know Feyenoord's home stadium, and it's not pleasant for visiting teams to play there. But Leverkusen basically retains the championship lineup, and Boniface has also returned to his best form. I predict Leverkusen to win 3-1.

Atletico coach Simeone has always made it difficult for the opponent to play, and I think this is an open game. Leipzig has strength, and they proved this in the reversal game against Leverkusen. Atletico is a little more popular because they are playing at home, but I predict a 2-2 draw in this game.