This evening’s entertainment is of the highest possible quality. The title challenge could be all but concluded tonight if Bayern pick up a win away in Dortmund, it’d put them 7 points away from their rivals and 10 away from 3rd placed Leipzig, but a win for Dortmund would put them 1 point behind current leaders, Bayern.
Bayern annihilated Dortmund in the reverse fixture at the Allianz, they completed a routine victory by 4 goals to nil where Lewandowski scored a brace and Dortmund only had a single shot. In recent times Bayern have dominated games in terms of possession and chances but the results tends to be varied, Dortmund won the Super Cup at the start of this season 2-0 but Bayern had 65% possession and had 16 shots in comparison to Dortmund’s 5. The result is all that really matters when all is said and done but the way Bayern have dominated in recent times really make the worry set in.
This game has plenty of relevance for the title challenge but also for some individual records, Robert Lewandowski has 27 goals in his 25 appearances in the Bundesliga this season and is only 5 goals away from the highest goal tally the league has seen in 44 years. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang scored 31 goals in the 2016/17 season and with exception of Lewandowski, the 30-goal mark hadn’t been reached since 1976. It’s unlikely that Lewandowski would break into the top 4 highest tallies, Dieter Müller scored 34 goals that year and the three records higher were all set by German legend, Gerd Müller (38 in 69/70, 40 in 71/72 and 36 in 72/73).
The record for assists is also under threat and two of the players challenging the lofty mark set by Kevin De Bruyne (21 in 2014), are in action today.
Thomas Müller has 17 to his name and Jadon Sancho has 16, both players are well within reach of matching the record if not breaking it. Sancho has only played 38 minutes of football since the re-commencement of the Bundesliga after lingering injury worries whereas Müller has played every minute bar 2. Müller is averaging an assist every 102 minutes and averages a goal contribution every 72 when you include the 7 he’s scored himself, but Sancho is something else. The Englishman is still only 20 years old and has had a part in 30 league goals so far this season, he’s been a part of a goal every 61 minutes this season which is simply absurd.
Football hasn’t been at the same level as it was prior to the pandemic but these two huge clubs have looked the closest to playing at the top standard so you can guarantee a great game, especially when you add in what’s at stake.
The history behind this fixture doesn’t allow a certain idea of what the outcome will be but after seeing 180 minutes played by both teams in the last 10 days, you’d be leaning towards Bayern. The offensive threat of Dortmund is never to be underestimated but as Bayern have proven time and time again, they turn up for the big occasion.
Bookmakers agree that Bayern enter the game as favourites despite Dortmund being unbeaten at home this season in the league and they’ve also only lost 1 in their last 30 Bundesliga home fixtures. It’s a very difficult game to have a wager on but there’s nothing concrete that would be comfortable enough to recommend. I’ll personally post my bets on my twitter nearer to kick off (5:30PM) if that’s of interest.
What a game in prospect, enjoy.
samyets 