Pros and cons: Can Bayern sensationally stop BVB?

Who will be German champion? Borussia Dortmund. Or not? Despite a two-point deficit before the last matchday in the Bundesliga title race, FC Bayern are not giving up. A win in Cologne could help if BVB fails at home against Mainz.

That speaks for Borussia Dortmund

The home strength of Borussia was last reliable. In the largest Bundesliga stadium, Dortmund have won all of the past eleven games without exception. Another win over Mainz would set the club record. In addition, another record beckons: BVB has never recorded 15 home wins and 46 home points in a Bundesliga season. Another plus is the accurate offensive: Since the end of the winter break, coach Edin Terzic’s team has scored an impressive 56 goals in 18 games.

That speaks against Borussia Dortmund

BVB was a good hunter this season, but a nervous league leader. During the winter break, the gap to FC Bayern was a whopping nine points. Since then, BVB has worked its way up from sixth to first place and is now two points ahead of Munich. However, two points in the table have already been lost again. The point conquered on the 25th match day was lost again two weeks later in the crashing 2:4 in Munich. After beating Frankfurt 4-0 on April 22, BVB again overtook the record champions, but stumbled again on the following matchday in a 1-1 draw in Bochum.

That speaks for FC Bayern

Actually nothing more – and that could be the chance for FC Bayern. Because who – if not Munich – can Bundesliga final. A point on the last day of the 1999/2000 season at SpVgg Unterhaching would have been enough for Leverkusen to win their first German championship. But Bayern took advantage of Leverkusen’s 2-0 defeat with a 3-1 victory of their own and still triumphed. In the stoppage time of the 2000/01 season, Bayern snatched the league from FC Schalke at the last moment. Another Bayern plus: BVB often didn’t have their nerves under control when it mattered.

That speaks against FC Bayern

Ten years after the first treble in the club’s history, the Munich team were eliminated from the cup and Champions League and lost their lead in the 3-1 draw against Leipzig a week ago. The performance upset coach Thomas Tuchel. Even if the stars manage to win again in Cologne, they no longer have the title in their own hands. And with a performance like against the cup winners Leipzig, a win in Cologne is anything but certain. Bayern already had big problems with FC in the first leg, Joshua Kimmich saved just one point with his equalizer at the last minute.