The 2017–18 Bundesliga was the 55th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. It began on 18 August 2017, with five-time defending champion Bayern Munich hosting Bayer 04 Leverkusen and concluded on 12 May 2018. The fixtures were announced on 29 June 2017.
Following an offline test phase in the previous season, the video assistant referee system was used for the first time in the Bundesliga on a trial basis following approval from IFAB.
Bayern Munich were the defending champions and won their 27th Bundesliga title on 7 April with five games to spare, winning a sixth consecutive title for the first time in their history. 1. FC Köln and Hamburger SV were relegated at the end of the season, with Hamburg therefore losing their status as the only ever-present team in Bundesliga history. Consequently, their northern rival Werder Bremen took the record for most seasons played in the Bundesliga, with 54 at the time, and Bayern inherited the most consecutive seasons record that is active, with 52 at the time, and they later broke the record in the 2020–21 season with their 56th straight season.
Summary One of the managerial changes before the start of the season was at Borussia Dortmund, who had finished third the previous season. After sacking Thomas Tuchel, they hired the Dutchman Peter Bosz in June 2017, after he had led Ajax to the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final. Dortmund were also the German club involved in the biggest transfer of the summer, selling young French forward Ousmane Dembélé to Barcelona for an initial €105 million. Meanwhile, reigning champions Bayern Munich prepared for the season by breaking the league's transfer record in their purchase of French midfielder Corentin Tolisso from Lyon for €41.5 million.
On 28 September 2017, Bayern sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti amidst reports of player unrest, despite the club sitting in third place. He was replaced by Jupp Heynckes in his fourth spell at the club. On 28 October, a 2–0 win over RB Leipzig put Bayern on top of the table for the first time in the season. In December, Dortmund sacked Bosz with the team in seventh, and replaced him with the Austrian Peter Stöger who himself had recently been dismissed by winless bottom team 1. FC Köln.
In the January 2018 transfer window, Dortmund lost the season's second-top scorer, Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who moved to Arsenal for a €63 million fee. They replaced him by bringing in Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi on loan. From December to February, Bayern went on a 10-match winning streak that ended with a goalless draw with Hertha BSC at the Allianz Arena, and managed 13 unbeaten until a 1–2 loss at Leipzig on 18 March.
Dortmund remained unbeaten for 12 games between December and 31 March, when they lost 0–6 away to Bayern. Schalke 04, who finished only 10th the previous season, were in the top 3 for most of the season. They were unbeaten for 11 games between September and January, putting together six consecutive victories in February and March before a 2–3 loss at bottom team Hamburg.
Bayern won their 27th Bundesliga and 28th German title (6th consecutive) on 7 April 2018, with five games left to play after defeating fellow Bavarian club FC Augsburg 4–1. Three weeks later, Köln were the first team relegated after a 2–3 loss to SC Freiburg. On 5 May, Schalke secured second place and a return to the Champions League for the first time in four years, with a 2–1 win at Augsburg. On the last matchday, 1899 Hoffenheim beat Dortmund 3–1 to finish ahead of the latter on goal difference at an all-time high third place and securing a spot in the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history. Following VfL Wolfsburg's 4–1 win over Köln, Hamburg were relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.
Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski was the league's top scorer for the third time, a record for a foreign player. He scored 29 goals, 14 more than second-placed Nils Petersen of Freiburg.
Teams
A total of 18 teams participated in this edition of the Bundesliga.
Team changes Promoted from2016–17 2. Bundesliga Relegated from2016–17 Bundesliga VfB StuttgartHannover 96 FC IngolstadtDarmstadt 98
Stadiums and locations Team Location Stadium Capacity FC Augsburg Augsburg WWK Arena 30,660 Hertha BSC Berlin Olympiastadion 74,475 Werder Bremen Bremen Weser-Stadion 42,100 Borussia Dortmund Dortmund Signal Iduna Park 81,360 Eintracht Frankfurt Frankfurt Commerzbank-Arena 51,500 SC Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau Schwarzwald-Stadion 24,000 Hamburger SV Hamburg Volksparkstadion 57,000 Hannover 96 Hanover HDI-Arena 49,000 1899 Hoffenheim Sinsheim Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena 30,150 1. FC Köln Cologne RheinEnergieStadion 49,698 RB Leipzig Leipzig Red Bull Arena 42,558 Bayer Leverkusen Leverkusen BayArena 30,000 Mainz 05 Mainz Opel Arena 34,000 Borussia Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach Borussia-Park 54,014 Bayern Munich Munich Allianz Arena 75,000 Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen Veltins-Arena 62,271 VfB Stuttgart Stuttgart Mercedes-Benz Arena 60,449 VfL Wolfsburg Wolfsburg Volkswagen Arena 30,000
Personnel and kits Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsorFrontSleeve FC Augsburg Manuel Baum Daniel Baier Nike WWKbaramundi software Hertha BSC Pál Dárdai Vedad Ibišević Nike bet-at-home.comTEDi Werder Bremen Florian Kohfeldt Zlatko Junuzović Nike WiesenhofH-Hotels Borussia Dortmund Peter Stöger Marcel Schmelzer Puma EvonikOpel Eintracht Frankfurt Niko Kovač Alexander Meier Nike Indeed.comDeutsche Börse Group SC Freiburg Christian Streich Julian Schuster Hummel SchwarzwaldmilchNone Hamburger SV Christian Titz Gōtoku Sakai Adidas Fly EmiratesPopp Feinkost Hannover 96 André Breitenreiter Edgar Prib Jako Heinz von HeidenHDI 1899 Hoffenheim Julian Nagelsmann Eugen Polanski Lotto SAPProwin 1. FC Köln Stefan Ruthenbeck Matthias Lehmann Erima REWEDEVK RB Leipzig Ralph Hasenhüttl Dominik Kaiser Nike Red BullCG Immobilien Bayer Leverkusen Heiko Herrlich Lars Bender Jako Barmenia VersicherungenWestminster-Gruppe Mainz 05 Sandro Schwarz Stefan Bell Lotto KömmerlingMFD Aviation Borussia Mönchengladbach Dieter Hecking Lars Stindl Kappa PostbankH-Hotels Bayern Munich Jupp Heynckes Manuel Neuer Adidas Deutsche TelekomHamad Airport Schalke 04 Domenico Tedesco Ralf Fährmann Adidas GazpromAllyouneed Fresh VfB Stuttgart Tayfun Korkut Christian Gentner Puma Mercedes-Benz BankGAZİ VfL Wolfsburg Bruno Labbadia Ignacio Camacho Nike VolkswagenUPS
Managerial changes Team Outgoing Exit date Position in table Incoming Incoming date Announced on Departed on Announced on Arrived on Mainz 05 Martin SchmidtSacked 22 May 2017 30 June 2017 Pre-season Sandro Schwarz 31 May 2017 1 July 2017 Borussia Dortmund Thomas Tuchel 30 May 2017 Peter Bosz 6 June 2017 Bayer Leverkusen Tayfun Korkut End of contract 13 May 2017 Heiko Herrlich9 June 2017 Schalke 04 Markus Weinzierl Sacked 9 June 2017 Domenico Tedesco VfL Wolfsburg Andries Jonker 18 September 2017 14th Martin Schmidt 18 September 2017 Bayern Munich Carlo Ancelotti 28 September 2017 3rd Willy Sagnol (interim) 28 September 2017 Willy Sagnol (interim) End of caretaker spell 6 October 2017 2nd Jupp Heynckes 6 October 2017 Werder Bremen Alexander Nouri Sacked 30 October 2017 17th Florian Kohfeldt 30 October 2017 1. FC Köln Peter Stöger 3 December 2017 18th Stefan Ruthenbeck 3 December 2017 Borussia Dortmund Peter Bosz 10 December 2017 7th Peter Stöger 10 December 2017 Hamburger SV Markus Gisdol 21 January 2018 17th Bernd Hollerbach 22 January 2018 VfB Stuttgart Hannes Wolf 28 January 2018 15th Tayfun Korkut 29 January 2018 VfL Wolfsburg Martin Schmidt Resigned 19 February 2018 14th Bruno Labbadia 20 February 2018 Hamburger SV Bernd Hollerbach Sacked 12 March 2018 17th Christian Titz 12 March 2018
League table
Results
Relegation play-offs All times are UTC+2.
First leg
Second leg
VfL Wolfsburg won 4–1 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Statistics Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals 1 Robert LewandowskiBayern Munich 29 2 Nils PetersenSC Freiburg 153 Niclas FüllkrugHannover 9614 Mark Uth1899 Hoffenheim Kevin VollandBayer Leverkusen6 Pierre-Emerick AubameyangBorussia Dortmund13 Michael GregoritschFC Augsburg Andrej Kramarić1899 Hoffenheim Timo WernerRB Leipzig10 Alfreð FinnbogasonFC Augsburg12 Salomon KalouHertha BSC Sandro Wagner1899 HoffenheimBayern Munich
Hat-tricks
Player Club Against Result Date Alfreð Finnbogason FC Augsburg 1. FC Köln3–0 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Borussia Dortmund Borussia Mönchengladbach6–1 Max Kruse Werder Bremen Hannover 964–0 Nils Petersen SC Freiburg 1. FC Köln4–3 Alfreð Finnbogason FC Augsburg SC Freiburg3–3 Niclas Füllkrug Hannover 96 Mainz 053–2 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich Hamburger SV6–0 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund6–0 Kevin Volland Bayer Leverkusen Eintracht Frankfurt4–1 Andrej Kramarić 1899 Hoffenheim Hannover 963–1
Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Cleansheets1 Roman BürkiBorussia Dortmund12 Ralf FährmannSchalke 04 Sven UlreichBayern Munich Ron-Robert ZielerVfB Stuttgart5 Oliver Baumann1899 Hoffenheim10 Bernd LenoBayer Leverkusen7 Marwin HitzFC Augsburg9 Alexander SchwolowSC Freiburg9 Koen CasteelsVfL Wolfsburg8 Jiří PavlenkaWerder Bremen
Awards
Annual awards Award Winner Club / Details Rookie of the Season Amine Harit Schalke 04 Goal of the Season Jonas Hector 1. FC Köln Save of the Season Bernd Leno Bayer Leverkusen VDV Player of the Season Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich
Team of the Year Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky(Eintracht Frankfurt) Defenders Wendell(Bayer Leverkusen) Mats Hummels(Bayern Munich) Naldo(Schalke 04) Joshua Kimmich(Bayern Munich) Midfielders Leon Bailey(Bayer Leverkusen) Leon Goretzka(Schalke 04) James Rodríguez(Bayern Munich) Thomas Müller(Bayern Munich) Forwards Michy Batshuayi(Borussia Dortmund) Robert Lewandowski(Bayern Munich)
Attendances
References
External links