After a yearlong tournament, Europe’s two best club teams face off at Wembley Stadium to find out which team is Europe’s finest.
This year, the contest is a decisively German affair as Borussia Dortmund takes on Bayern Munich in North London on May 25th. For the first Sky time ever, two German teams will duke it out in the Champions League Final.
Finals Bundesliga Preview
Football fans were lucky enough to see a preview of Technique how the Champions League Final may shape up earlier this month. On May 4th, the two teams faced off in a domestic league game that showed these two German rivals mean business.
The match was not significant from a domestic perspective with Bayern already clinching the Bundesliga champions, but certainly provided a preview of things to come.
Both teams scored within the first half hour of the match. Kevin Grosskreutz tallied the first goal for the hosts off of a volley in the 11th minute. Mario Gomez equalized in the 23rd minute with a header via a Rafinha’s cross.
Dortmund received a penalty when Sahin’s shot hit Boateng in the arm, but a save was made by Neuer on an attempt from Lewandowski. The final line was a 1-1 draw, but the atmosphere was testy. Players and coaches could be seen yelling at each other as they walked along the sidelines. Bayern received five yellow cards in the match, a season high by a large margin. The Bundesliga champions had only received eight yellow cards all season until Saturday’s contest.
It is hard to take much from this game as both managers mixed up their squads and lineups, but one thing is for sure – there is plenty of bad blood between these two teams.
Current Odds
Our current 90 minute odds are provided by Paddy Power:
Borussia Dortmund 16/5
Bayern Munich 5/6
Draw 13/5
“To Lift the Cup” wholesale mlb jerseys or Outright Winner Odds are as follows:
Borussia Dortmund 7/4
Bayern Munich 4/9
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Under 2.5 Goals Evens
Over 2.5 Goals 8/11
Bayern are large favorites and rightfully so. They are the Bundesliga Champions again this year after a two year hiatus from atop the top flight league. It is their opponent, Borussia Dortmund who has taken the title for the past two seasons.
Bayern is determined as cheap nfl jerseys ever to win the Champions League title after a near miss last year and in 2010. The pressure is on them and not Tickets on Dortmund, who would win their second Champions League Title in history and their first since a 1997 win against Juventus.
While Dortmund is impressive playing with the underdog “we’ve got nothing to lose” mindset, Bayern is more focused than ever and must be convinced that this is their year. Footballers at this level should not need extra motivation, Empresa but there is something to be said for the supreme confidence Bayern must be feeling now. While Dortmund deservedly deserves to be in the final, win or lose, they will be lauded for their successful season no matter what the outcome and may not have that burning desire to bring home the title that Bayern has.
It’s also worth nothing that Mario Gotze, Dortmund’s top playmaker is positif headed to Bayern Munich this summer. Robert Lewandowski has not formally agreed to sign with Bayern in the offseason, but rumors persist that he has made an informal deal with the club – despite Bayern’s insistence there is no deal on the table.
It’s unlikely that these rumors and Gotze’s deal to head to the Reds next season will affect their play in the Final, but it’s worth considering. It is hardly doubtful they would not be motivated for Champions League glory cheap mlb jerseys with Dortmund, but perhaps subconsciously a move to Bayern is creeping into their minds.
Final Predictions
In recent years, the finals can be low scoring affairs. cheap mlb jerseys The teams managed two goals combined in their recent draw and in an earlier Bundesliga match this season, Bayern won 1-0 with the goal coming in the 63rd minute.
Despite the number of stars on both sides of the ball, I think this one stays under 2.5 goals within the 90 minutes. Especially in the first half, both teams will likely come out with a defensive game plan and do not seem to open up and attack till the second half. How good both of these teams are defensively has been lost with all the hype leading up to the final.
Bayern’s work will start from the flanks as world class footballers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are utilized extremely effectively. Though Dortmund back Lukasz Piszcek has been one of the better defenders around, his opposite Marcel Schmelzer is one of Dortmund’s weak spots.
This will force Dortmund to put more pressure on the Robben/Ribery combo and allow Bayern’s midfielders to have more space in the middle of the field. Thomas Muller who is playing the best football of his life should benefit from the Punishes increased pressure on the wings.
Javi Martinez and Ilkay Gundogan have been crucial parts of both team’s success in the tournament. Martinez, especially, has the ability to turn the tide in the game and stifle an opponent’s entire attack. These two will be vital in deciding who wins the midfield battle for position, which could determine the outcome of the game.
While Bayern looks like the better side on paper and they have more experience, I’m leaning towards Borussia Dortmund. Few teams have better attacking talent than Jorgen Klopp’s current side while having a mixture of youth and experience.
The top play in my mind is Under wholesale nba jerseys 2.5 Goals as I think this game will be a defensive slugfest first and foremost. A 1-0 victory seems likely by whoever wins this one and for my money it is on underdog Borussia Dortmund. Die Schwarzgelben looks to primed to pull the upset at Wembley.