On Saturday, March 5, the most important fixture on the German football calendar takes center stage, as Borrussia Dortmund hosts Bayern Munich in a top of the table fixture. The game will be played at the Signal-Iduna Park in the city of Dortmund and will kick off at 17:30 BST.
The hosts are currently 2nd on the league table, with 57 points from 24 games, while the visitors are on top of the league table, with 62 points from 24 games. Both teams will retain their league positions at the end of this game regardless of the full time score line.
Borrussia Dortmund closing inChasing Borrussia Dortmund have got the league leaders looking nervously over their shoulders, as they have cut the lead at the top of the table to just 5 points. The Yellow wall have put last season’s disappointment behind them, and are right in the mix this year.
Die Schwargelben, managed by Thomas Tuschel are in immaculate form, winning all five of their last five games in all competitions. These wins include league victories against Bayer Leverkusen (0-1 on February 21), Hoffenheim (3-1 on February 28), and Darmstadt 98 (0-2 on March 2). They also defeated FC Porto in both legs of their Europa League fixture (2-0 on February 18), and (0-1 on February 25).
Bayern Munich falterBayern Munich have seen their lead at the top of the table cut to just five points, following their shock home defeat to Mainz 05. The Bavarians will know that a defeat in this game will make the final weeks of the season a little more dicey than was predicted at the turn of the year.
The Bavarians, managed by Pep Guardiola, are in good form, with three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last 5 games in all competitions. All three of their wins were in the league, against Augsburg (1-3 on February 14), Darmstadt 98 (3-1 on February 20), and against VFL Wolfsburg (0-2 on February 27).
The league leaders could only manage to draw the first leg of their Champions League tie with Juventus (2-2 on February 23), but suffered an unlikely defeat at the hands of Mainz 05 (1-2 on March 2).
This game will feature two of the most lethal strikers in the Bundesliga this season. Borrussia Dortmund’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has scored 22 goals in 23 league appearances. The Gabonese striker’s goal return is only bettered in the league by the exploits of Polish marksman Robert Lewandowki. The Bayern Munich striker leads the league scoring charts with 23 goals in 23 league games.
This game should be intriguing from the get go as the two elite clubs in Germany will be playing for points as well as bragging rights. Borrussia Dortmund are however in better form, and they shall be playing in front of their vociferous home fans. I see the home team winning a closely fought encounter.