The annual Telekom Cup graces us from Germany this weekend with four Bundesliga sides contesting the two-day tournament. The Telekom Cup is played from a semi-final format with the winners qualifying for the final on Sunday. This year sees Telekom sponsored Bayern Munich joined by Borussia Monchengladbach, Hamburg and Wolfsburg.
Hamburg v Wolfsburg
Saturday 26 July Imtech Arena, Hamburg (18:30) (60 minutes)
24/10 draw 18/10 14/10
Hamburg will be looking to do well in this tournament to put behind what was a terrible 2013/14 season. They finished 16th out of 18 teams in the Bundesliga and had to fight to stay in the league via the promotion/relegation playoffs where they eventually ousted Greuther Fuerth. Their downfall in the league was their leaky defence which conceded the most goals in the league, 75 from 34 matches. They kicked off their pre-season friendlies in China with a 6-2 loss to Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande. Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart featured and got onto the scoresheet. They improved in their next match by earning a 3-2 victory over Guangzhou as more 
experienced players featured.
Wolfsburg were impressive in the Bundesliga last season, clinching a Europa spot after finishing fifth. The season prior ended with Wolfsburg finishing 11th, so it was a big improvement that was rewarded with a ticket to Europe. Arguably their best player is Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne. The 23-year-old struggled to make an impact at Chelsea during the first half of last season, but he was very impressive after joining Wolfsburg in January, scoring three goals and creating 50 chances in the Bundesliga.
Wolfsburg have been the dominant side in recent head-to-head matches and are unbeaten against Hamburg in the last seven encounters. The last match between the sides ended in a 3-1 away win to Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg are priced up at a healthy 14/10 for the win.
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach
Saturday 26 July – Imtech Arena, Hamburg (20:30)
15/20 draw 21/10 9/2 (60 minute betting)
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are also the current holders of the Telekom Cup. They are coming off another dominating showing in German football. The Bavarians again swept the league title and cup with ease and are highly favoured to do that again this season. Bayern have completed the signing of Robert Lewandowski from Dortmund, which led to Mario Mandzukic opting for a move to Atletico Madrid. Bayern also lost Toni Kroos to Real Madrid, although the young star was not always first choice for coach Pep Guardiola. They have also brought in Spain’s Under 21 captain Juan Bernat from Valencia. The 21-year-old full-back, who can also operate as a winger, is tipped by many pundits to become a world class player.
Monchengladbach hosted this tournament last season, and were losing finalists to Bayern. They managed a 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in their semi-final but ultimately suffered a 5-1 humiliation by Bayern in the final. Monchengladbach dominated German football in the 70’s but only returned to the top crop of German football in 2008 and over the last three seasons they have finished fourth, eighth and sixth to revive memories of former glories. Monchengladbach travelled to England to face Stoke City in a friendly over the weekend. The final score was 1-1 with Chelsea loanee Thorgan Hazard netting for the Germans.
Bayern have beaten Monchengladbach in the last four matches, scoring an impressive 14 goals. Bayern are priced up at a mouth watering 15/20 to win in normal time (60 minutes).
