Preview: Can Dortmund beat Bayern ahead of the DFB Pokal semi finals?
Borussia Dortmund has been criticized sometimes this season for not being as strong as last season. In their final appearance in the Champions League this season, they overturned quite a few opinions. With Robert Lewandowski back in the side following a dubious first leg suspension, Dortmund’s football flowed. Eventually the post and of course, Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s profligacy denied them the all important third goal which would have sent the tie to extra time following an extraordinary performance from Marco Reus.
Bayern, on the other hand, possibly woke up from a slumber. Their performance in the first half against Manchester United showcased their recent problems. Pep Guardiola’s switch of formation did not help the team. When Bayern conceded in the second half, everyone was finally able to witness what made Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern treble winners. They replied within 80 seconds and hit two more to send United out of the competition in a glorious 17 minutes. What must be said is that the defense gave United two excellent chances at the other end.
Nonetheless, both Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will have an eye on the DFB Pokal semi finals. Klopp’s side will take on Wolfsburg, a much tougher opponent, with due respect, than Bayern’s opponent, Kaiserslautern. Klopp shared some sad news on the day. Ilkay Gündogan, his star midfielder, will be unavailable for the rest of the season. Sven Bender, Marcel Schmelzer, Neven Subotic and Jakub Blaszczykowski are all out as well. In a piece of good news however, the club has decided to hold on to Nuri Sahin permanently; they have used an option in his contract to allow him to stay on in Germany.
For Bayern, the injury list is not short either. Tom Starke and Lukas Raeder, the second and third choice keepers respectively, are both out. Holger Badstuber is continuing his recovery. This weekend’s match comes too early for both Xherdan Shaqiri and Thiago Alcantara. Guardiola’s side lost to Augsburg, 1-0, in their previous Bundesliga match while Dortmund secured a 2-1 win against Wolfsburg.
In the end, Dortmund will perhaps be more encouraged to field their regulars, particularly due to the fact that Schalke is breathing down their necks in third. Klopp will perhaps like to defeat Bayern at the Allianz Arena after suffering a 0-3 defeat in their only league meeting this season at the Signal Iduna Park. The two sides also met in the German Supercup, with Dortmund emerging as the winners, 4-2.
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels
Watch Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund live on Saturday, April 12, 2014:
In Canada at 12:30 ET on GolTV Canada
In the UK at 17:30 BST on BT Sport 1
In the USA at 12:30 ET on GOLTV USA
In Germany, viewers can tune into Sky Bundesliga 1 amongst other networks to watch the match.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Bayern-Dortmund match
