Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich – Champions League Final Preview, Wembley Stadium London, England 2:45 PM EST Saturday May 25, 2013
By Jason Green of Predictem.com
Match Odds: Borussia Dortmund 4.75 / Bayern Munich 1.75 / Draw 4.10
Moneyline: Borussia Dortmund +375 / Bayern Munich +-133 / Draw +310
Over/Under: 2.5 goals
Bayern Munich have lost in the finals of the Champions League final in the 2010 and 2012 seasons, but the 4 time winners of the competition are big favorites to win it this season. They have not hoisted the trophy since 2001 and they look to complete the triple crown for them, as they have already won the Bundesliga title and they are in the final of their league cup in the DFB Pokal.
Borussia Dortmund only has one Champions League final appearance back in 1997 when they won. They are the underdog in this match and a surprise finalist after upsetting Real Madrid in the semifinals.
Bayern’s run to the finals of the Champions League final has been spectacular, especially the 7-0 thrashing of Barcelona, in aggregate, in the semifinals. It is very hard to beat a team in a season 3 times and Bayern must go into this match knowing the this match is theirs to lose.
To say that Bayern ran away with the Bundesliga title this season with be an understatement, as they finished 25 points ahead of Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern has played Borussia Dortmund 4 times this season playing to a 1-1 draw in both Bundesliga matches, beating them in the early season DFB Super Cup, and beating them again in the quarterfinals of the DFB Pokal.
In the Bundesliga season Bayern scored 98 goals and gave up, by far the fewest, 18 goals, and Borussia Dortmund scored 81 goals and gave up 42.
Bayern are loaded with the likes of Mario Gomez, Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic and where they are really dangerous is in the midfield, as they like to attack with the players of Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben, and Franck Ribery always pressing forward. Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of the best MF in the world and if Borussia Dortmund can shut him down they have a good chance to win this match.
Much like Bayern Borussia Dortmund has a great attacking midfield with Marco Reus, Kevin Grokreutz and Ilkay Gundogan leading the charge. The team will miss striker Mario Gtze, who will miss this match with an injury.
Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski may join Bayern next season and he will be counted on to generate some offense in this match.
G Manuel Neuer has been stellar this season and even though Bayern have given up a few goals in their last few matches they did not mean much since they had the league wrapped up several weeks ago.
Dortmund G Roman Weidenfeller leads the sefense and he will really be tested in this match. It is key that the Dortmund defense not make mistakes near their box or they will pay. It is also important they pounce on counter-attack chances, as that may be their best chance to score in this match.
Dortmund Recent Form
4/27/2013 Fortuna Dsseldorf 1 Borussia Dortmund 2 (Bundesliga)
4/30/2013 Real Madrid 2 Borussia Dortmund 0 (Champions League)
5/4/2013 Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
5/11/2013 VfL Wolfsburg 3 Borussia Dortmund 3 (Bundesliga)
5/18/2013 Borussia Dortmund 1 TSG Hoffenheim 2 (Bundesliga)
Bayern Munich Recent Form
4/27/2013 Bayern Munich 1 SC Freiburg 0 (Bundesliga)
5/1/2013 Barcelona 0 Bayern Munich 3 ( Champions League)
5/4/2013 Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich 1 (Bundesliga)
5/11/2013 Bayern Munich 3 FC Augsburg 0 (Bundesliga)
5/18/2013 Borussia Monchengladbach 3 Bayern Munich 4 (Bundesliga)
Jason’s Pick to Win: All signs point to Bayern winning this match. However, they have come up short in their last 2 trips to the Champions League finals and I think they will lose a 3rd time in a big upset. Dortmund is a very young and exciting team and they do not have nearly as much pressure as Bayern does. I would not be surprised if this game ended in penalties, but I am picking Dortmund to win outright by a score of 2-1.