Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund - 7M sport

Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund

Posted Saturday, February 13, 2010 by Goal.com

Dortmund will seek revenge in their showdown with in-form Bayern.

Kick-Off: Saturday, February 13, 2010, 18:30 CET
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Tough Champions League Warm-up Awaits Bayern

Bayern’s winning streak extended to ten games in all competitions on Wednesday as the Bundesliga record champions earned a 6-2 victory over second division outfit Greuther Fuerth. The scoreline, which suggests a comfortable win for the Munich side, indeed told only half the story. After Thomas Mueller’s early opener, the visitors struck twice and could have scored at least two more times before the end of the first half. Bayern lacked any quality going forward until Arjen Robben converted a somewhat fortunate penalty, and two more rapid-fire goals were scored to make it 4-2.

The scenario of Bayern struggling against a second division club was all too familiar, but instead of forcing a late victory, Bayern won Wednesday’s match with real panache. Though somewhat expected, Bayern’s DFB Pokal victory over Greuther Fuerth was just another example of the change Louis van Gaal has brought with his move to Bavaria. This year, Van Gaal has injected in his side a strong desire to win, and has earned his players’ trust and respect. After a real tongue-lashing at the break, Bayern came out and scored five unanswered goals.

Looking forward, Bayern have a tough week ahead of them. With a Champions League showdown with Fiorentina looming on the horizon, Van Gaal’s men will look upon the Dortmund game as not just a pivotal league match, but a form check. Their opponents have improved significantly since the last time the two sides met—a match which Bayern won 5-1 at the Signal Iduna Park—and only the grit and determination seen in midweek will see Bayern take three points.

Klopp Out For Revenge

A year ago, Dortmund were the league’s toughest team to beat, going undefeated at home and losing just five away matches. Coach Juergen Klopp, once referred to as the “Westphalian Mourinho,” was considered the league’s finest tactician; his ability to organize his team and hold—or even beat—superior teams is quite remarkable indeed.

Fast forwarding to this season, Klopp’s side has a different style. Instead of adopting a purely chess-style approach, Klopp has let his team chase victories at the risk of losing, rather than drawing, close matches. The results have, generally, been quite positive. His team, a group of primarily young players, has long been touted as future title contenders, and although the shield is all but out of reach, Klopp’s side are well on their way to their first top-five finish since 2003.

But the fight isn’t yet over. Their five-point cushion over Werder Bremen is significant, but Werder’s potential is formidable and, if they do not improve recent results (consecutive losses to Stuttgart and Frankfurt), Dortmund will again finish just outside a European berth.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s clash, Klopp has a real task ahead of him. In their last meeting with Bayern, the Ruhr side was pummeled by a relentless Bayern attack, and suffered a 5-1 home defeat.

This time around, Klopp will have to bring the very best out of his team. To his benefit, the emergence of Lucas Barrios, Mats Hummels, and Kevin Grosskreutz over the last few months has given Dortmund a new touch of class that was not present when the two teams last met in the early fall. With ceaseless focus, hard work and determination, Dortmund just might be the team to half Bayern’s eight-game domestic winning streak.

FORM GUIDE

Bayern Munich
10 Feb v SpVgg Greuther Fuerth (H) WON 6-2 (DFB Pokal)
6 Feb v Wolfsburg (A) WON 3-1 (Bundesliga)
30 Jan v Mainz (H) WON 3-0 (Bundesliga)
26 Jan v Ingolstadt (A) WON 2-0 (Friendly)
23 Jan v Werder Bremen (A) WON 3-2 (Bundesliga)

Borussia Dortmund
7 Feb v Eintracht Frankfurt (H) LOST 3-2 (Bundesliga)
31 Jan v Stuttgart (A) LOST 4-1 (Bundesliga)
23 Jan v Hamburg (H) WON 1-0 (Bundesliga)
17 Jan v Koeln (A) WON 3-2 (Bundesliga)
19 Dec v Freiburg (H) WON 1-0 (Bundesliga)

TEAM NEWS

Bayern Munich

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose, Hans-Joerg Butt, and Daniel van Buyten recovered from minor problems that kept them out of the midweek action, and should be available to play, giving Louis van Gaal a full squad to choose from. Franck Ribery is ready to return to the starting lineup, so Ivica Olic is likely to be relegated to the bench as Bayern field a 4-2-3-1 lineup.

Possible Starting XI: Butt – Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber – Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger – Robben, Mueller, Ribery – Gomez

Borussia Dortmund

Juergen Klopp is likely to use his usual defensive tactics as his team visits Bayern. In all likelihood, his team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Nelson Valdez (suspended), as well as Markus Feulner, Sebastian Kehl, Tinga, Dimitar Rangelov, and Yasin Oztekin (all injured) will be unavailable for selection.

Possible Starting XI: Weidenfeller – Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer – Bender, Sahin – Kuba, Zidan, Grosskreutz – Barrios

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

The mercurial Frenchman was back in Bayern’s starting eleven on Wednesday, and put on his best performance since returning from a knee injury. Of Bayern’s six goals, Ribery assisted two and scored another in an inspired performance. Currently 53rd in the Castrol Rankings, Ribery has a long way to go if he is to reach his previous status among the world’s greatest superstars. However, the Frenchman will be particularly motivated ahead of his team’s Champions League showdown with Fiorentina.

Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)

The once promising youth who was rejected by Bayern last year has emerged as one of the league’s most promising young defenders. Dortmund will call upon him to defend against Bayern’s rampant attack, and to use his prolific aerial ability—he has scored three goals in his last four matches—to ease the pressure on his defensive colleagues.

PREDICTION

This Dortmund is much improved from the one that was clobbered in the fall, but Bayern are in blistering form now, and seem simply unstoppable. I expect this match to be closer than the last, but Bayern’s hunger seems to be too much for their guests.

Bayern Munich 2-1 Borussia Dortmund



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