Bundesliga Takeaways: All Hail Haaland!

Bundesliga Takeaways: All Hail Haaland!

Erling Haaland just continues to add to his already amazing Bundesliga goal haul. The young Norwegian bagged four more goals in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-5 win over Hertha Berlin, which closed the gap on leaders Bayern Munich to a single point.

Dortmund aren’t the only club within a point of Bayern, though, as Bayer Leverkusen are riding high despite the departure of some key attacking players over the summer. Meanwhile, the addition of a key attacker has helped Union Berlin continue their surprising rise up the standings.

Learn more about SBOTOP’s key takeaways from Matchday 8 of the Bundesliga season below.

Erling Haaland can’t stop scoring

After a remarkable first half-season in Germany, everyone expected Erling Haaland to be even better in the Bundesliga this year.

The young Norwegian has certainly delivered thus far. He banged in four more goals in Dortmund’s 2-5 hammering of Hertha Berlin — all in the second half — which upped his tally to 10 goals in just seven league games this season.

Haaland has now scored 23 goals in 22 Bundesliga matches and has 31 in 30 appearances overall for Dortmund. That is a simply astounding strike rate for a 20-year-old. No wonder even his coach loses count of how many goals he’s scored!

Haaland has scored in each of his last six matches in all competitions for BVB, who moved to within a point of leaders Bayern Munich after the champions were held to a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen.

With Bayern looking a bit more vulnerable than they were during the second half of last season, Dortmund could have a better chance at the title than the Bundesliga 2020 odds would have you believe.

Of course, Haaland will have to continue banging in the goals for them to stand any chance. But given how strongly he’s started the season, you certainly wouldn’t put it past him.

Leverkusen not missing Kai Havertz

Bayer Leverkusen are surprisingly tied with second-placed Borussia Dortmund with 18 points after they beat Arminia Bielefeld 1-2, extending their winning run to five straight games.

Many expected Leverkusen’s Bundesliga 2020 results to be significantly worse this season after losing their top two scorers from last year in wunderkind Kai Havertz and Kevin Volland. But Peter Bosz has done a fine job maintaining the team’s strong attack despite those key departures.

Argentine striker Lucas Alario has filled the void left by Havertz and Volland in attack with seven goals in seven games.

Alario is unlikely to maintain this sort of goalscoring form, so Leverkusen will need a bit more production from their other players. Patrik Schick, who was their marquee signing tasked with replacing Volland up front, has yet to establish himself in the side.

But with Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby, and 17-year-old Florian Wirtz — who already has four assists this season — Leverkusen are clearly not short of attacking talent.

While Bayern and Dortmund are likely going to be tough to catch, Leverkusen can still be one of the top contenders for one of the two remaining Champions League spots if they can maintain this impressive early-season form.

Villarreal Asian Handicap +0.25  @ 2.03

Over 2.75 @ 2.03

1X2 Real Sociedad @ 2.1

Union Berlin showing no signs of sophomore slump

Union Berlin’s energetic fans may not be present in the stands, but the club is still making a lot of noise this season. They now find themselves up in fifth after beating struggling Koln 1-2.

Union don’t seem to be showing any sign of suffering a sophomore slump in their second Bundesliga campaign. Since losing their opening game of the season, they have gone unbeaten in their last seven games and have won each of their last three.

The arrival of striker Max Kruse has arguably been the most impactful piece of transfer business for any Bundesliga club this season.

The veteran forward has been responsible for much of the team’s early-season success; he is the team’s leading scorer with four goals and also has five assists in eight appearances.

With Kruse leading the attack, Union have already scored 18 goals this season, second only behind Bayern and Dortmund. Although, nine of those goals came in big wins over strugglers Mainz and Arminia Bielefeld.

Union have had a relatively easy schedule thus far and Kruse is unlikely to sustain his sensational form. But survival is Union’s ultimate goal this season, and they are well on their way toward securing a third season in the Bundesliga.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

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