Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund: Der Klassiker in the DFB Pokal Final
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will square off in a Klassiker clash for the DFB Pokal title at the Olympiastadion on Saturday evening.
This will be the final game for outgoing boss Pep Guardiola. Although his three year tenure with Bayern Munich brought no European success, the Spanish tactician nonetheless can make it a second domestic double in just three seasons. Should he manage this on Saturday, it will be the 11th achievement for die Roten and the 18th DFB-Pokal title for the Bavarian titans.
Bayern Munich have long enjoyed the historical advantage over upcoming opponents Borussia Dortmund. They famously defeated die Schwarzgelben in the 2013 Champions League final 2-1, which was a historic affair as it was the first all-German final contested. Bayern have won 19 out of their last 22 matches in the DFB Pokal. And they will be looking to maintain that impressive run in Germany’s capital this Saturday.
Guardiola will be missing the services of Mario Gotze after the young German suffered a broken rib. Javi Martinez and Xabi Alonso are two other players who could be in doubt, whilst Arjen Robben and Holger Badstuber will play no part in this fixture. Meanwhile, for Thomas Tuchel, the Pokal represents a chance for him to win his first trophy since arriving at Dortmund last summer. And more important, a victory would mark Dortmund’s first win over Bayern Munich since 2012 when they beat die Roten 5-2 in this same competition.
Dortmund are making their third straight appearance in a Pokal final. In 2014, they were thwarted by Bayern Munich and last year, it was Wolfsburg to stop them from winning the title. Now in 2016, die Schwarzgelben will be desperate to avoid making it a third consecutive loss.
Marco Reus is reportedly battling a cold, but should be able to shake it off in time for the big game. Meanwhile, for his international colleague Mats Hummels, this will be a bittersweet match. The central defender now becomes the third player – after Gotze and Robert Lewandowski – to swap Dortmund for Bayern Munich after it was announced he will be making the move to die Roten this summer.
So will Guardiola end his tenure with another trophy in his cabinet? Or will Dortmund finally end their own long wait for some silverware this Saturday?
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