Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund
With the German Bundelsiga set to kick-off next weekend, the German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will clash in the German Super Cup this weekend. Two-time defending league champions Dortmund won the double last season by beating Bayern in the final of the DFB Pokal. With Dortmund winning both competitions, which decide who participates in the Super Cup, the losing finalist qualified.
Bayern were unlucky last season as they again failed to put their hands on any of the three trophies they were contesting. The Bavarians ended as runners-up in all competitions, including the UEFA Champions League where they lost on penalties to Chelsea at the Allianz Arena.
In preparation for the new season Bayern won seven of eight friendly matches, losing only at Napoli. However, they failed to make the final of the Liga total cup played last weekend where Werder Bremen beat them on penalties in the four team mini-tournament. They played the losers of the other semi-final, Hamburg for third place, who were beaten by Dortmund, and won 1-0. Bayern have had a busy summer as they looked to bolster their squad to make sure they dethrone Dortmund in the Bundesliga. They have brought in some good signings with the likes of Mario Mandzukic, Claudio Pizarro, Dante, Xherdan Shaqiri and Tom Starke in this summer’s transfer window to add to their already competitive squad. Winning the Super Cup would give the team a huge boost in confidence for the upcoming season. They suffered a blow with star striker Mario Gomez getting injured against Werder Bremen and he will likely miss the start of the season. However, they have brought in two quality strikers in Pizarro and Mandzukic. The experienced Peruvian Pizarro played for Bayern during 2001 and 2007, scoring 71 goals in 171 appearances and also scored 43 goals for his most recent club Werder Bremen, in just 77 matches. Mandzukic has performed well so far for Bayern. The Croatian striker was a wanted man after his impressive displays in the Euro 2012 but Bayern already had their eye on him after his performances for Wolfsburg last season.
Dortmund have frustrated their rivals immensely in the last two years. The Black Yellows have won two consecutive league titles and have been the only team ahead of Bayern Munich on both occasions. The Borussians downed the Bavarian giants 5-2 in the DFB-Pokal final last term to pile more misery on the side. They finished eight points clear of Bayern and have also amazingly beaten Bayern Munich in the last five meetings. The champions recently lost playmaker Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United, but picked up Monchengladbach’s young talent Marco Reus, who should be able to fill the gap if his Euro 2012 performances for Germany are anything to go by. Polish International Robert Lewandowski has been firing since returning from his holiday after playing in the Euro. They also have one of their key players in Mario Gotze back to full strength, a solid back line, and loads of confidence.
Bayern will have the advantage of playing at home, something that hasn’t helped in the last two seasons against Dortmund. Back the draw.
