With the stunning VfB Stuttgart comeback to earn a draw vs. Dortmund, the 1. Bundesliga title race is suddenly wide open. FC Bayern already knew this would be a big match, but the developments of the past 12 hours have made it even more vital: a win today puts Die Roten in a great position, while dropping points would have to be seen as a big let-down.
In a sense, Bayern now "controls its own destiny" as we would say in American sports - meaning we could win the Bundesliga title by winning every match (the 3-point deficit being possible to make up by beating Dortmund in our remaining match vs. them). But thinking that way that would be presumptuous - with 7 matches left, including a few against very dangerous teams, we could very easily drop points. And given the way Dortmund looked in the last few minutes today, they also aren't any kind of good bet to win their remaining 6 matches. So let's just start with this derby-day match today, and go from there - too many big, year-long plans have already been blasted by a few minutes of poor play, so I'd rather the boys just focus on winning balls, making good passes, and avoiding mistakes.
Line-ups - for Bayern:
Gomez
Mueller - Kroos - Robben
Pranjic - Tymoschuk
Contento - Badstuber - Boateng - Lahm
Neuer
For 1. FC:
Pekhart - Didavi
Hlousek - Simons - Balitsch - Chandler
Pinola - Maroh - Wollschied - Fuelner
Schaefer
And your Chat Box:
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Goal video - This one should have the build-up, goal, celebration, and a good replay:
Sorry for the delay. Late night last night.