Bring it on!

Last week Ross Dunbar of Scotland went down 6-5 to the DW pundits, who are so puffed with pride that they're thinking of calling themselves "experts" from here on out. We'll see how long that lasts.

Follow us on Twitter (@DW_Sports) for the next chance to be picked to pick!

This week's guest guesser is Allan Edgar (@BundesligaUK) of Scotland.

Friday, August 19

Gladbach - Wolfsburg

Not that these things matter much at this stage, but Gladbach edge out Wolfsburg in the Champions League places by claiming fourth, with last season's whipping boys ahead of Felix Magath's Wolves by a point. Despite losing to Bayern last week, Wolfsburg look the stronger of the two teams after an opening day mauling of Cologne and a battling defeat against the Bavarians. Gladbach have yet to show the attacking form which rescued their blighted season in the last few weeks of the previous campaign.

DW prediction: Wolfsburg 2-0
Guest prediction: Draw 2-2

Saturday, August 20

Augsburg - Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim will be full of confidence after beating reigning champions Dortmund last week and their perennial good start to the season is likely to continue at newbies Augsburg. The Hoff tend to tail off before Christmas so Augsburg must be cursing their luck to get them now. However, despite slipping down the league last week, Augsburg are still unbeaten with two draws to their name and have shown themselves to be obstinate opposition. Hoffenheim should still nick this one though.

DW prediction: Hoffenheim 2-1
Guest prediction: Hoffenheim 2-1

Stuttgart - Leverkusen

Stuttgart are one of the top four unbeaten teams at the moment, which must be a relief after last season's trials. One win and a draw is a satisfactory start for a team which has yet to eradicate the off-field problems which bled into their performances last time out. Leverkusen have already tasted defeat which will have set alarm bells ringing for new coach Robin Dutt, who faces a goalkeeper crisis before August is even over. Stuttgart stuck three past Schalke on the opening day, and were a bit unlucky not to have scored more than just one in ‘Gladbach, which might lead to a 10-1 formation being employed by Dutt in an effort to keep Stuttgart out. It may work.

DW prediction: Draw 1-1
Guest prediction: Draw 1-1

Bayern - Hamburg

Hamburg are already playing catch-up, which has been their default position for the past few seasons. They may not have welcomed an opening day trip to Dortmund but they should have done better last week at home to newly-promoted Hertha. That rather flattering 2-2 draw left them without a win and down in 16th on one point. Bayern haven't hit their stride yet either, but since their surprise opening day defeat to Gladbach they've racked up wins against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and FC Zurich in the Champions League. Hamburg can expect more misery come Saturday.

DW prediction: Bayern 3-0
Guest prediction: Bayern 2-0

Dortmund - Nuremberg

You may not remember it now, but the champions had an early minor hiccup last year too, losing their opener to Leverkusen. Jürgen Klopp will be hoping the Hoffenheim defeat last week is another blip that can be quickly forgotten. Early signs suggest that BVB aren't missing the departed Nuri Sahin too badly and that the form and consistency of last season is there or thereabouts. Nuremberg are not far behind in the league and will be no pushovers but Dortmund proved last season that their powers of recovery are strong.

Prediction: Dortmund 3-1
Guest prediction: Dortmund 2-0

Bremen - Freiburg

For Bremen, at least there's comfort in the knowledge that a rollercoaster goes up as well as down. If their season is to be one of highs and lows - they have one solid victory and a half-hearted defeat to their name already - then at least it will be better than the months they spent in the gutter last season. This campaign will be all about attitude for Bremen; if they can suppress their self-destructive side, we may see signs of long-term recovery. Freiburg scaled unprecedented heights last time before dipping. Without Robin Dutt in charge, time will tell if the approach he fostered has taken root.

Prediction: Draw 1-1
Guest prediction: Bremen 3-1

Cologne - Kaiserslautern

It's early days but for Cologne at least, sitting near the bottom is something they may have to get used to. Being in last place with two defeats will have extinguished Cologne fans’ pre-season pipe dreams about challenging for Europe. That's not to say that their Norwegian wunderkind coach Stale Solbakken won’t eventually get it right - it’s just that an atmosphere of managed expectations would benefit everybody. Kaiserslautern are better than their 17th place suggests, but not much. They'll edge this one but it might not be pretty.

DW prediction: Kaiserslautern 1-0
Guest prediction: Cologne 2-1

Sunday, August 21

Mainz - Schalke

Mainz have started this season as they started the last, on top and on fire. Just how strongly and for how long that flame burns is a matter of speculation. Perhaps they're better equipped this time to sustain another meteoric rise to the top of the league. Schalke now have a full season of Ralf Rangnick's expertise to look forward to after he stepped in as coach to see last season out. This will be his team and already they're showing signs of playing in his image. Two attacking teams going hell for leather? Yes please.

DW prediction: Schalke 3-2
Guest prediction: Draw 2-2

Hanover - Hertha

Hanover's return to Europe after 19 years may come at a price, with last season's surprise package looking to fight on three fronts this time out. Whether they’re on a high after their unexpected win over Sevilla or worn out from it remains to be seen, but coach Mirko Slomka believes he has the squad depth to cope with the extra demands. Hertha's return to the top flight has been uneven so far and unless they can do at least as well as they did in Hamburg last week, Hertha will struggle.

DW prediction: Hanover 2-0
Guest prediction: Hertha 2-1

Last week's results:

DW: 6 points

Guest: Ross Dunbar (@rossdunbar93) of Scotland): 5 points

DW total for the season: 11 points

Guest total for the season: 9 points

Three points for a correct score prediction

Two points for a correct margin prediction

One point for a correct winner prediction

Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Matt Hermann