Germany League - Bundesliga Prediction Thread

[piebeyb]

Bayern Munich may not show the required strong play against Leverkusen considering the Manchester United match. For them, UCL is more important. 5 days after the Leverkusen game, they will play an important game. They will want to be on the field with the full squad in the Manchester United match by resting their important players. I think that's why Bayern can draw against Leverkusen.

At least Munich did not underestimate Leverkusen, because something could have happened and the results of a surprising match again even though Munich might want a victory against Leverkusen to be at the top of the Bundesliga standings and shift Leverkusen, even though the next few days it will compete at UCL against Manchester United. What is difficult for Munich considering Manchester United is still not visible consistently at the beginning of this season in the EPL League.

But Tuchel seems to be organizing some of the main squad players to play against Leverkusen and not play their key players fully because of course it will also be prepared against Manchester United considering the UCL match is very important compared to the domestic league.

[QueenVera]

Bayern Munich may not show the required strong play against Leverkusen considering the Manchester United match. For them, UCL is more important. 5 days after the Leverkusen game, they will play an important game. They will want to be on the field with the full squad in the Manchester United match by resting their important players. I think that's why Bayern can draw against Leverkusen.

At least Munich did not underestimate Leverkusen, because something could have happened and the results of a surprising match again even though Munich might want a victory against Leverkusen to be at the top of the Bundesliga standings and shift Leverkusen, even though the next few days it will compete at UCL against Manchester United. What is difficult for Munich considering Manchester United is still not visible consistently at the beginning of this season in the EPL League.

Tuchel is left with a decision of sacrificing the league match for winning the match against Manchester United in the Champions League competition this is a big test for the club this season and I'll be very suprised if they end up winning both considering  Manchester United's poor form in the EPL, well both teams have had their history in the UCL and you'll be shocked to see united playing with their full potential.
 However dropping his key players might cost him the league match against Leverkusen because they're currently in a very good form as well as toping the league, so I think Tuchel would need full power to win them, except maybe he's wanting to grab a point from the match and face Manchester United which is one of their Arch rivals in the UCL with his full power. Anyways Tuchel has had experience playing against united while he was in the EPL so he aware of their potential and the task ahead is not a very tough one.

[shogun47]

Bayern Munich may not show the required strong play against Leverkusen considering the Manchester United match. For them, UCL is more important. 5 days after the Leverkusen game, they will play an important game. They will want to be on the field with the full squad in the Manchester United match by resting their important players. I think that's why Bayern can draw against Leverkusen.

At least Munich did not underestimate Leverkusen, because something could have happened and the results of a surprising match again even though Munich might want a victory against Leverkusen to be at the top of the Bundesliga standings and shift Leverkusen, even though the next few days it will compete at UCL against Manchester United. What is difficult for Munich considering Manchester United is still not visible consistently at the beginning of this season in the EPL League.

Tuchel is left with a decision of sacrificing the league match for winning the match against Manchester United in the Champions League competition this is a big test for the club this season and I'll be very suprised if they end up winning both considering  Manchester United's poor form in the EPL, well both teams have had their history in the UCL and you'll be shocked to see united playing with their full potential.
 However dropping his key players might cost him the league match against Leverkusen because they're currently in a very good form as well as toping the league, so I think Tuchel would need full power to win them, except maybe he's wanting to grab a point from the match and face Manchester United which is one of their Arch rivals in the UCL with his full power. Anyways Tuchel has had experience playing against united while he was in the EPL so he aware of their potential and the task ahead is not a very tough one.

What did I miss? I thought I am up to date and now you are saying that Tuchel is left with a decision to sacrifice the league match against Bayer Leverkusen? I was trying to find what you are talking about, but really nothing happened. Tuchel will play a normal league match with his best players and then he will play a Champion League match with his best players again. Is there anything wrong with that? What sacrifice are you talking about?

[Velvet78]

Stuttgart have been really interesting so far. Because they got another sensational win by 5-0 and it was even against Freiburg. You know how decent Freiburg have been in the league in the recent years. They have been competitive for top four even though they couldn't manage to make it. Therefore seeing this loss against Stuttgart was shocking.

Freiburg actually made a good start to the season until this game. I wonder how their defense was this vulnerable against Stuttgart. Despite getting a big loss against Leipzig it still didn't prevented Stuttgart from concentrating amazingly on the Freiburg game.

[fzkto]

Both teams have played great in the first three matches, but I agree with you that Bayern will always be favourites, because they are always considered the strongest team in the Bundesliga. But now it's really hard to say who can win. It's even likely that it will be a draw.

Xabi Alonso is absolutely doing a good job and getting back on heel. Bayern Munich has won on a streak, and Bayer Leverkusen has accomplished the exact same thing. A complicated game to determine the winner regarding but there will always be a winning team from this competitive clash. Bayern Munich constitutes the frontrunner to win the upcoming encounters. Thomas Tuchel has already made arrangements every circumstance. On the other side, Bayer Leverkusen are likely to be difficult to handle because they presently lead the Bundesliga standings.

upcoming match between Bayern Munich and Leverkusen will be a tense and interesting match to watch as the two first placed teams in the standings have to compete to prove who deserves first place and my hopes are in Munich even though Leverkusen will also be in tight competition but I'm just sure that competing as a host will provide greater opportunities and high self confidence.

maybe some people will be confused about betting on which team to win and some people will choose to bet on the option that both teams score and I might choose this option because of course both teams will score equally even though the final result will be one team winning at least both scored.

Leverkusen last won away against Bayern in 2019. Bayern won a home game with a big score in 2022. The statistics are not in Leverkusen's favour. But now both teams are playing well, so it's hard to say how the game might end. I think it will be a draw or a win for Bayern.

[Pulsar77]

Even Tuchel was criticized in the last part of last season for being eliminated from the Champions League early and nearly losing the Bundesliga title to Dortmund.

However this wasn't fair thinking of he joined the team quite late and he didn't have much time to make his system work smoothly. But now things are going really well for the team. Because Tuchel had lots of time to apply the plans in his mind for this team. With Kane's arrival they are a much more complete team now. I think they won't only be competitive in the Bundesliga. I expect a satisfying level of success in the Champions League as well.

[Strongkored]

Tuchel is left with a decision of sacrificing the league match for winning the match against Manchester United in the Champions League competition this is a big test for the club this season and I'll be very suprised if they end up winning both considering  Manchester United's poor form in the EPL, well both teams have had their history in the UCL and you'll be shocked to see united playing with their full potential.
 However dropping his key players might cost him the league match against Leverkusen because they're currently in a very good form as well as toping the league, so I think Tuchel would need full power to win them, except maybe he's wanting to grab a point from the match and face Manchester United which is one of their Arch rivals in the UCL with his full power. Anyways Tuchel has had experience playing against united while he was in the EPL so he aware of their potential and the task ahead is not a very tough one.

I'm sure Tuchel will sacrifice nothing, concentrate more on the Champions League and not worry too much about the results of the match with Bayern Munich or vice versa, because if Tuchel does that then he could be said to be a coach who is not an expert in strategy, and I doubt that. This was because at least Tuchel had won the Champions League with Chelsea, who at that time were not the favorites, meaning he had enough experience to bring Bayern Munich to optimal performance in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League this season.
And when they play against Manchester United in the Champions League, I think there is nothing to worry about because Bayern Munich is better than the English club, firstly because this is Bayern's home match and the other is because Manchester United is not that great in this tight competition, or at least Manchester United has not yet found its glory days like several decades ago.

[Docnaster]

Even Tuchel was criticized in the last part of last season for being eliminated from the Champions League early and nearly losing the Bundesliga title to Dortmund.

However this wasn't fair thinking of he joined the team quite late and he didn't have much time to make his system work smoothly. But now things are going really well for the team. Because Tuchel had lots of time to apply the plans in his mind for this team. With Kane's arrival they are a much more complete team now. I think they won't only be competitive in the Bundesliga. I expect a satisfying level of success in the Champions League as well.

Thomas Tuchel is one of the finest managers in modern day football but the truth is that he didn't have a good campaign in his first season as a Bayern Munich manager and if Borussia Dortmund had won their last home league game of the season, Bayern Munich wouldn't have won any major trophy last season.
Thomas Tuchel now has the time and human resources to silence his critics by having a great campaign with Bayern Munich this season and that's not by winning the German Bundesliga title because they've been winning it for over a decade now but by having an impressive season in the UEFA Champions League and if possible winning the competition

[EarnOnVictor]

Bayern Munich now has some improvement to boast of ahead of the game. Unlike last season Munich lost the second half of the seasons game to Bayern Leverkusen.
Having Kane around is a good thing. Xabi Alonso has dome a good job for Leverkusen one day if everything gets alligned he will have the opportunity also to work with Bayern Munich, he has a very good tactics in the game. He worked with the best managers and also played with the best players he should add varieties of tactics to his game. Goals should be the result of this game.

There should have been a goal in this game. Munich is the favorite to win. but somehow I think this fight will be a goal draw for both teams.
that's just my feeling, I'm also quite hesitant to bet on this fight. Munich must prepare themselves well. The match against Leverkusen might affect the team's playing mentality when facing Man United in the Champions League.
this will be quite a busy match agenda for Munich, and they have to plan it well not to lose one or both of them.

Bayern Munich may not show the required strong play against Leverkusen considering the Manchester United match. For them, UCL is more important. 5 days after the Leverkusen game, they will play an important game. They will want to be on the field with the full squad in the Manchester United match by resting their important players. I think that's why Bayern can draw against Leverkusen.

So because of the UCL game, Bayern will now relax? I doubt that and both the local league and the UCL are important to them. If they didn't nurture one, what if the one they desperately desire fails them? I don't think a club will hands down for any reason, if at all, it's not what they would prepare for, all matches have to be won if possible. But I still don't see Bayern winning the UCL this season, they couldn't when they had a better squad than this present one, I possibly don't see how they will make it through now that they are still trying to find a better feet.

And if your view that they will relax should play out, then Bayern Leverkusen might win them easily as Leverkusen is not a club you can underrate like that and go away with it. Judging by the current feat played by Bayern in their last match, they even narrowly won Monchengladbach when they seem serious, how will it be if they face a better club while they are unserious? I don't see how your view can be positive for them, they won't even dare it.

[Stepstowealth]

Bayern Munich now has some improvement to boast of ahead of the game. Unlike last season Munich lost the second half of the seasons game to Bayern Leverkusen.
Having Kane around is a good thing.

Bayern Munich will have to put on a topnotch performance again their Neighbors Bayern Leverkusen . It will be a very tough match because both team are attacking, take for instance Harry Kane is one of the best top 9 in the world, he came to Bayern Munich to improve the team in attacking sense . Bayern Leverkusen lost one of the key player Daiby to English inside Aston Villa . He is a player who can dictate the game with his pace . Overall view Bayern Munich will win . No doubt about it Thomas Tuchel will put his team together for the clash against Bayern Leverkusen. No disrespectful to Xabi Alonso side but they will not be able to withstand Tuchel side .

[W Jr.]

Current Odds



from this alone it is known who will be the favorite. Playing at the Alianz Arena with their current form will clearly be a high confidence for Bayern, therefore I still feel that Leverkusen will survive and will be more passive in the hope that they can hold Bayern in a draw.
But something like this will happen if Xabi wants to play it safe because if they want to play more boldly then Leverkusen will try to keep up with the game given by Bayern in this match even though the risk is much greater.

Bayern Munich is Bundesliga champion and they are also as the strongest team in that competition so that's why the bookmakers will always be placed them as the favourite so it's normal and from whole season you will see they always will being an the favourite for each matches and regarding the match against Leverkusen i think it's hard to predicted because both teams in the same shape and they were collect 9 points from 3 matches and actually Xabi Alonso had good records from Bayern Munich because he has experience to beat this team last season once and this is the real test too for Leverkusen for their consistency and it will be very interesting to see who is the winner of this match later

Leverkusen has no chance against Bayern Munich in this encounter because it is quite agreed that Bayern is much stronger with the presence of a top striker, in the person of Harry Kane.
They lacked a good striker last season especially notably since the move of Lewandowsky to Barca.
I can bet with an above 2.5goal margin comfortably because Bayern Munich should be able to get more than 3goals comfortably with a few minutes in stoppage time to show dominance over Leverkusen.

Bayern Munich now has some improvement to boast of ahead of the game. Unlike last season Munich lost the second half of the seasons game to Bayern Leverkusen.
Having Kane around is a good thing. Xabi Alonso has dome a good job for Leverkusen one day if everything gets alligned he will have the opportunity also to work with Bayern Munich, he has a very good tactics in the game. He worked with the best managers and also played with the best players he should add varieties of tactics to his game. Goals should be the result of this game.

It will be a big clash between the two teams. Bayern Munich and Leverkusen are two strong teams. I think Bayern Munich is the stronger side and Kane got a great fit with the team. I also think that this harmony will continue. In my opinion, Harry Kane will be the football player that marked this year with Bayern Munich. He will have great success not only in the Bundesliga, but also in the group stages at UCL.

[MAAManda]

Stuttgart have been really interesting so far. Because they got another sensational win by 5-0 and it was even against Freiburg. You know how decent Freiburg have been in the league in the recent years. They have been competitive for top four even though they couldn't manage to make it. Therefore seeing this loss against Stuttgart was shocking.

Freiburg actually made a good start to the season until this game. I wonder how their defense was this vulnerable against Stuttgart. Despite getting a big loss against Leipzig it still didn't prevented Stuttgart from concentrating amazingly on the Freiburg game.

They were just lucky or Freiburg were in their poor form earlier this season, if you take a closer look at the statistics then you will understand that Stuttgart win isn't a win that stems from their great game. They don't dominate from any side, let's say one of the sides they control.

Ball possession? No, they even only have 48% there.

Attempt shot? Of course not, Freiburg played more dominantly in attack, which is why I say that Stuttgart was just lucky.

[Sakanwa]

Bayern Munich now has some improvement to boast of ahead of the game. Unlike last season Munich lost the second half of the seasons game to Bayern Leverkusen.
Having Kane around is a good thing.

Bayern Munich will have to put on a topnotch performance again their Neighbors Bayern Leverkusen . It will be a very tough match because both team are attacking, take for instance Harry Kane is one of the best top 9 in the world, he came to Bayern Munich to improve the team in attacking sense . Bayern Leverkusen lost one of the key player Daiby to English inside Aston Villa . He is a player who can dictate the game with his pace . Overall view Bayern Munich will win . No doubt about it Thomas Tuchel will put his team together for the clash against Bayern Leverkusen. No disrespectful to Xabi Alonso side but they will not be able to withstand Tuchel side .

This game is really going to be a tough match to watch because I know what Leverkusen are capable of doing,they are playing good football and as such,we can't just conclude that Bayern will win them,It is no doubt that Bayern are one of the best teams at the moment,and they are also capable of scoring many goals as possible because of Kane that is their attack line,but with what I've seen in the Leverkusen team,I think they have the strength to compete with  Bayern and even come out drawing them or winning Bayern.Alonso have really transformed the team since he took over,and knows very well that the tie against Bayern is going to be a hard nut to crack, therefore,he will rather want to defend and counter attack his opponent,and that is the only way they can clinch a win.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Now Dortmund has many things for which they can do a lot, with this signing, I think they can do things in a more special and much bigger way, Dortmund is aiming to give it their all to win the Budneslifga this time, they have already been told note that they are not even a bit afraid of Bayern.

They have and got already the things in the past for can making big things , even they lost a few good players in the transfer period this time,
i guess its possible that they can show there true face now , but they need to start it today against Heidenheim with a win and hopefully many scored goals.
Dortmund is not afraid about Bayern Munich.
Fingers crossed that Niclas Füllkrug will get a few Minutes to play and maybe score a goal for his new Team.

I don't think Dortmund will win the title. I don't even consider Dortmund as favorites for the title. And I have never seen a better performance from Dortmund in the opening two games of the season. Dortmund got a narrow 1-0 win against a weak team like Koln. Dortmund team drew 1-1 against Bochum in the second match.
In the first two matches, it is well understood that Dortmund's attack is quite weak. The team managed to score only two goals in two matches. Dortmund fans will certainly expect goals from Niclas Füllkrug, Dortmund's new striker, in today's match. If Niclas Füllkrug performs well, maybe Dortmund's performance will stabilize.

Bayern Munich are not considering Dortmund as an opponent for the title. Bayern Munich will dominate the Bundesliga again this year and easily win the title. Harry Kane has settled into the team very well. And he is capable of scoring a lot of goals. So Munich's chances of winning the title have increased.

I don't deny it, things are like that, indeed the best thing that Bayern could have done was to have hired a Harry Kane who is totally connected with the gfol who understands us and who knows what the needs are like now, and I also see that concentration is unique, this is the type of player that is needed in the Budneliga, from the way things look it seems that if Bayern were to dominate the Bundlesiga, but we have to wait, because things don't look so easy there is some Well, teams that have been adapting their reinforcements, that there are players who are starting out, well, a series of factors that may be preventing someone from standing out, now, if Bayern dominates the Bundesliga, I think that each team is responsible for their actions Because it's 90 minutes where stories can change and it appears Bayern is clinging to victories, so if Bayern can, why can't the others? Bayern is not just Harry Kane, they are a group of 11 very good players who also have the shirt and who defend their team, then teams like Dormtund, like Union Berlin, have to get the caste.

Harry Kane talks about leadership at Bayern Munich

Harry Kane was asked about his views on being a leader, and he revealed his thoughts on the situation at Bayern Munich in an interesting interview with Sport Bild.

“You can be a leader in different ways. Some lead with loud shouts on the pitch, others lead the way with their football. I want to lead with the way I train and play. I'm getting to know my teammates better every day. Whether as the captain of the English national team or as a player at FC Bayern, I want to lead the way,” remarked the English striker (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Something interesting about Kane's statement is that he mentioned two distinct types of leaders. Carlo Ancelotti captured it perfectly in his book ‘Quiet Leadership.’

Similar to Kane's description, Ancelotti coined the terms 'personality leaders': those who lead with loud shouts, and 'technical leader': those who lead by example.

Kane being a technical leader as he describes himself, while someone like Müller would be a personality leader, as well as a technical leader.

Kane went on, saying that he wouldn't need to change much to be a leader at Bayern.

“We have good leaders here. We talk to each other a lot, whether on the pitch or in the dressing room. I don't have to change much to be a leader,” said Kane.

Source: https://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2023/9/6/23853201/harry-kane-leadership-bayern-munich-tuchel-muller-kimmich-coman-goretzka-tottenham-transfer-neuer

Well, it is obvious that Kane came to Bayern stomping very hard and is showing that he has a great level, he also made the comparison of the point of view of the Book of Ancelotti and he, my goodness, I leave it, that he is a leader by example, without going over From a Muller who has total leadership in the team, these are the things that obviously we as soccer players realize, and those who do things well and do things by example, the same players within the team They are going to classify him as the indisputable leader , he also mentioned something that is relevant, that Bayern's weak or most vulnerable point is with set pieces, that there are some omissions that he himself could help to correct, best of all, he will always appear for Qara He makes his voice heard, and the fact that he gets along better with his coworkers every time is a huge plus, not all players when they are new to a team make Contributions of this intensity, Kane's is Admirable.

[rendravolt]

One of the Bundesliga promotion teams this season, Darmstadt, got a bad start and from the 3 matches they have played so far they have not got any points at all. However, Damstadt lost to 3 teams that dominated the Bundesliga last season, namely Frankfurt, Union Berlin and Leverkusen. So it's no wonder they get bad results when facing these strong teams. I had hoped that at least Damstadt would be able to surprise by defeating one or two of these teams, but it seems that didn't happen, even Damstadt was unable to hold a draw. In their next match they will face Gladbach at home and they must win this match if they want to have any hope of staying in the bundesliga.

[bitLeap]

One of the Bundesliga promotion teams this season, Darmstadt, got a bad start and from the 3 matches they have played so far they have not got any points at all. However, Damstadt lost to 3 teams that dominated the Bundesliga last season, namely Frankfurt, Union Berlin and Leverkusen. So it's no wonder they get bad results when facing these strong teams. I had hoped that at least Damstadt would be able to surprise by defeating one or two of these teams, but it seems that didn't happen, even Damstadt was unable to hold a draw. In their next match they will face Gladbach at home and they must win this match if they want to have any hope of staying in the bundesliga.

It's a common thing for promoted teams, how they make a bad start to the season and there seem to be very few teams that can provide strong competition in their first season since promotion.
I personally actually hope that the promoted team can do something interesting like competing at least in the middle of the table, and if they are able to I would like to see them in the top flight. And it seems that it will all be very difficult for them to do, because from a mental point of view they have to adjust again when they are in the highest caste competition in a country.

[Jody.Drummer]

One of the Bundesliga promotion teams this season, Darmstadt, got a bad start and from the 3 matches they have played so far they have not got any points at all. However, Damstadt lost to 3 teams that dominated the Bundesliga last season, namely Frankfurt, Union Berlin and Leverkusen. So it's no wonder they get bad results when facing these strong teams. I had hoped that at least Damstadt would be able to surprise by defeating one or two of these teams, but it seems that didn't happen, even Damstadt was unable to hold a draw. In their next match they will face Gladbach at home and they must win this match if they want to have any hope of staying in the bundesliga.

It's true that it's been a terrible start for a promoted side like Darmstadt, they're up against a club that's in pretty good form, let alone Leverkusen. To be honest I didn't really expect them to win against Leverkusen because obviously it's impossible, but before I thought they could secure full points against Frankfurt who only managed one win at the start of the competition, I guess it wasn't too difficult for them, but yes it's still difficult for Darmstadt. The promoted side are currently bottom of the table with three defeats since the season started and no wins to their name. That's bad enough, but I wouldn't be too optimistic to say that it's always going to be bad because the season is still long and it's possible that the promoted side could slowly surprise us, I mean, it's possible that Darmstadt could secure full points in their next few matches including their next match against Gladbach. But we'll see how those matches turn out.

[X-ray]

Leverkusen last won away against Bayern in 2019. Bayern won a home game with a big score in 2022. The statistics are not in Leverkusen's favour. But now both teams are playing well, so it's hard to say how the game might end. I think it will be a draw or a win for Bayern.

I think that it's not apple to apple to compare the old leverkusen to the present. Xabi has brought so many improvements to the club. Leverkusen is performing far better. I think that draw shall become the best way to end this match. Leverkusen may be underrated club once it's gonna face munchen. Mostly of people were picking bayern instead of leverkusen but i do believe if leverkusen will able to give a tough game against munchen. Tuchel must be careful caused by it will be facing a strong team in the bundesliga.
Bayern maya is also able to lose more points against bayern. The competition's leading position will be determined by this match and simultaneously create a distance between the first and second positions of the clubs. The fight between strongest clubs in bundesliga will happen soon.
I can't even wait to see the match to begin soon.

[AakZaki]

Leipzig is a very good team and after a few sad results they made the blast against Stuttgart. Nevertheless, we can easily say that Stuttgart started the league very well. Finishing the Bundesliga at the top this year is their main goal for now. However, there are many teams in this league that will push him. I want to see Stuttgart participate in European tournaments this year. I hope they make it.

Leipzig in the last 3 years have always played well. In fact they play in UCL as well. so I think Leipzig are a team that should be considered as potential champions this season. For Stuttgart I'm not sure, last season they ended above the relegation zone. But Stuttgart this season started well. They can always score 5 goals in 3 games this season. But remember there are still a lot of matches. It is difficult to ensure they can afford to end up in the eurozone at the end of the season.

[DanWalker]

Even Tuchel was criticized in the last part of last season for being eliminated from the Champions League early and nearly losing the Bundesliga title to Dortmund.

However this wasn't fair thinking of he joined the team quite late and he didn't have much time to make his system work smoothly. But now things are going really well for the team. Because Tuchel had lots of time to apply the plans in his mind for this team. With Kane's arrival they are a much more complete team now. I think they won't only be competitive in the Bundesliga. I expect a satisfying level of success in the Champions League as well.

Thomas Tuchel is one of the finest managers in modern day football but the truth is that he didn't have a good campaign in his first season as a Bayern Munich manager and if Borussia Dortmund had won their last home league game of the season, Bayern Munich wouldn't have won any major trophy last season.
Thomas Tuchel now has the time and human resources to silence his critics by having a great campaign with Bayern Munich this season and that's not by winning the German Bundesliga title because they've been winning it for over a decade now but by having an impressive season in the UEFA Champions League and if possible winning the competition

He came in at a very crucial time. And I don't think we can actually expect too much from him at that point. But now he is going to work the whole season with the team. so we can expect better results from him and also from the team. I think we can count on him for bringing a better result. And now he also has a complete squad. but in the last season when he came on as the coach, he did not have an actual striker. Now he does have Harry Kane on the team. So I will say that when people talked a lot of trash about him, it was actually something that he did not deserve. He will definitely bring better results in this season.