We have come down to the final week of action in the Bundesliga, and for the first time in many years, Borussia Dortmund enter the last matchday with the best options to win the title that has been dominated by Bayern for over a decade.
The Black and Yellow have been quite consistent throughout the season, and the ultimate award seems to be waiting for them to claim it and take it home. On the other hand, Bayern's shaky season saw them changing coaches in the middle of the competition, and despite their initial games under coach Thomas Tuchel, it seems that Die Roten will finally surrender the crown to another Bundesliga side.
Before we go deeper into each game, let us have a look at how things stand prior to Week 34 in the German top-flight.
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 29 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 74 | 19 | +55 | 79 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Bayern München | 29 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 82 | 36 | +46 | 63 | WLLWW | |
| 3 | Stuttgart | 29 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 67 | 34 | +33 | 63 | WWDWW | |
| 4 | RB Leipzig | 29 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 67 | 33 | +34 | 56 | WWDWW | |
| 5 | Borussia Dortmund | 29 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 57 | 34 | +23 | 56 | WLWWW | |
| 6 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 29 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 42 | LDDLW | |
| 7 | Augsburg | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 39 | WLDWW | |
| 8 | Freiburg | 29 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 41 | 52 | -11 | 39 | WLWLW | |
| 9 | Hoffenheim | 29 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 49 | 57 | -8 | 36 | LWLLL | |
| 10 | Heidenheim | 29 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 42 | 50 | -8 | 34 | DWDDL | |
| 11 | Borussia M'gladbach | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 50 | 56 | -6 | 31 | LWLDD | |
| 12 | Werder Bremen | 29 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 36 | 49 | -13 | 31 | LDLLL | |
| 13 | Union Berlin | 29 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 25 | 45 | -20 | 29 | LLDWL | |
| 14 | Wolfsburg | 29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 34 | 50 | -16 | 28 | LLWLL | |
| 15 | Bochum | 29 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 34 | 59 | -25 | 27 | DLDLL | |
| 16 | Mainz 05 | 29 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 30 | 47 | -17 | 26 | WWDWL | |
| 17 | Köln | 29 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 23 | 51 | -28 | 22 | LWDLD | |
| 18 | Darmstadt 98 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 28 | 72 | -44 | 14 | LLDLL |
Now, let us walk you through the key points that could decide the title in favor of the Black and Yellow or the Bavarians.
Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz 05
The team led by Edin Terzic gets to this clash with the chance of a lifetime to end Bayern's dominance, as all they have to do to win one more Bundesliga title is to claim all the points in their match against Mainz 05. The Black and Yellow are two points ahead of their bitter rivals, but only a win would do the trick as their goal difference is shorter than Bayern's in case they end the tournament level on points.
Their chances of success against Mainz couldn't be better, as Der BVB have won four out of their last five games against Mainz, scoring ten times and conceding only four goals in those matches. As for Mainz, the team coached by Bo Svensson is only interested in waving goodbye to the season on a high, as not even a woeful loss would see them getting in trouble in terms of relegation and they will not finish among those qualified to European competitions.
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Köln vs Bayern München
The other key match to determine the winner of the 2022-23 Bundesliga will feature Köln, a team fighting to finish among the top teams in the league, and the defending champions, Bayern München. Die Roten have dropped points in two of their last five games, and those losses have proven to be decisive to find themselves in such a scenario. Right now, a win may not be enough for them to win the crown, although their chances are not as slim as one could think.
A win by Bayern, combined with a loss by Borussia Dortmund would give Thomas Tuchel's team an eleventh Bundesliga title in a row. Moreover, their options to win the title could increase if if Dortmund draw their game, since the Bavarians' goal difference is better than the one owned by Borussia Dortmund. With all this in mind, if Bayern can beat Köln away from home (something they have done in their last five trips to that stadium), their options to win the title would not be as bad as fans may believe...the only problem is that everything must fall in place for Die Roten to win one more crown, and this has been a season full of struggles for the defending champions, who are closer than ever to finishing second after dominating this tournament for the past ten years.
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