Preview: Do Borussia Dortmund believe they have a point to prove?
In 2011 and 2012, Dortmund cruised to the league title ahead of Bayern. In 2012, they handed Bayern a humiliating 5-2 defeat in Berlin. The hero of the day was unsurprisingly Robert Lewandowski; his hat-trick booked his place in Dortmund folklore for eternity. He is set to transfer next season to none other than Bayern; this match will be his last competitive one for Dortmund and he will surely want to sign off in the only way he knows how - by scoring multiple goals.
The Dortmund fans bade him a fond farewell in his last Bundesliga home match recently. Lewandowski was driven to tears as the Dortmund fans applauded him. For good measure, he scored twice in his final match to win a personal duel against Mario Mandzukic and take home the Bundesliga cannon after narrowly missing out to Stefan Kiessling last season.
Dortmund themselves had been second best to Bayern ever since Bayern switched to top gear under Jupp Heynckes. However, in three meetings since Heynckes’ departure from Bayern, Dortmund have gotten the better of Bayern twice. Nonetheless, those two meetings were the less important ones. The first one took place in the German Supercup; Dortmund was the better side and deservedly won 4-2. After Bayern had already secured the title (and thus had entered a lengthy slump which saw them hammered by Real Madrid), Dortmund embarrassed Pep Guardiola’s first choice lineup (only Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng amongst the regulars did not start) 0-3.
When Dortmund was on top of the table and Bayern was chasing them, the Bavarians easily toppled them in perhaps a season defining meeting, 0-3. Bayern partied in the grand manner in which they always do after being handed the league title a week ago. However, there are lasting doubts over Pep Guardiola’s philosophy. He has come under heavy criticism for forcing Bayern to play a possession based game and abandoning Heynckes’ blend of possession and counter-attack. Bayern has lost their speed, hunger and seemingly, desire.
Dortmund has been in incredible form in the past two months and if current form was to decide this match, this would surely go their way. They also perhaps have a point to prove; if they defeat Bayern in this important match, they will manage to kill two birds with one stone; they will manage to crown their season with a trophy and send Bayern into a full blown crisis filled with self doubt.
In terms of injuries, Bayern will be without Thiago Alcantara. Thiago has also been ruled out of the World Cup following his latest knee problem. Bastian Schweinsteiger continues to be a major doubt for Bayern after hurting his knee in his side’s last league match against VfB Stuttgart. Franck Ribery might not be able to play the entire match due to a back problem.
Who will take the cup with the green jewels home? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Borussia Dortmund vs FC Bayern München live on Saturday, May 17, 2014:
In Canada at 14:00 ET on Sportsnet World Online, Sportsnet World
In the UK at 19:00 GMT on BT Sport 2
In the USA at 14:00 ET on Univision Deportes, ESPN3
Viewers in Germany can tune into ARD Das Erste to watch the match.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Dortmund-Bayern match page.
