Kovac backs Bayern Munich to win Bundesliga title after dropping points at RB Leipzig

Posted Sunday, May 12, 2019 by PA

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac is confident his side will claim the Bundesliga title on the last day of the season after a 0-0 draw at RB Leipzig left the champagne on ice.

Dropped points for Bayern coupled with Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf means the title race will be decided on the final day for the first time since 2009.

Bayern hold a two-point lead heading into the final weekend and Kovac expects the Bavarians to beat his former club Eintracht Frankfurt next Saturday to clinch the title at home for the first time since 2000.

Dortmund will conclude their campaign away to Borussia Monchengladbach.

“We’ll play at home and we’ll seal the title there,” Kovac was quoted as saying on the official Bayern website after the Leipzig draw.

“It’ll be a final for the championship title, the people in Munich haven’t had that for years, even decades.

“So I’m convinced our fans will create a great atmosphere, which will boost our passion and will to win.”

Bayern would have secured a seventh successive title with a win or if they had bettered Dortmund’s result.

Leon Goretzka thought he had scored the winner shortly after half-time, only for the video assistant referee to intervene and rule the goal out for an offside earlier in the move.

“A compliment to my team, we did a really good job from the 20th minute,” Kovac said.

“We were clearly dominant, we were completely in control and didn’t allow anything.

“We stifled Leipzig’s strengths and created chances. Unfortunately we didn’t reward ourselves, but we saved that for next week. ”

On Goretzka’s disallowed goal, Kovac said: “I’m a friend of VAR. Despite that, it was a close call but a correct one.”

Bayern forward Thomas Muller admitted the draw with third-placed Leipzig had been “very annoying”.

“We turned in a superb display in the second half,” Muller said.

“We absolutely wanted to win but didn’t put it in. We achieved it once but it was offside by half a foot.

“Taken altogether it’s very annoying. We turned in one of our better performances in the Bundesliga this year. Unfortunately we didn’t reward ourselves with a win and the championship title but we have to turn in a similar performance at home next week.

Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick praised his side’s defensive performance after Bayern had failed to score in the league for the first time since early October.

Rangnick told a press conference reported by the club’s Twitter account: “It was an exciting and intense game. My team did well defensively and defended very well over 95 minutes.

“I’m happy with the result, just like I was with our work off the ball.”

With the two sides set to meet again in two weeks’ time to contest the DFB-Pokal final, Rangnick admitted Leipzig had to improve.

“In the switch-over situations and in attack we could have done a lot better,” he said.

“We should have been more precise and compelling at ball possession.”