FootballAmericaAustraliaBreakingDailyEuropeGeneralHotSportWorld

Champions League Final 2013: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund Bavarians one step further in Wembley, Preview / UEFA News

Bayern Munich favorite Champions League German Final 2013 at London however Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Kloop’s stil got a tricks for mighty Bayern in Wembley.

As fate would have it — and one has to assume it is fate, rather than something more sinister — Mario Gotze has been ruled out of the Champions League final when his current team, Borussia Dortmund, will take on the club he has agreed to join for next season, Bayern Munich. The presence of Gotze was just one of many captivating storylines that make Saturday’s all German-clash at Wembley so eagerly anticipated.

For one thing, it is a rare final where it would be hard to argue that the two best teams in Europe this season are not present. Bayern Munich have arguably been the class of the Champions League.

borussia_dortmund-bayern_munich

A tight matchup was expected in the quarterfinals when they met Italian champions Juventus, but the Bavarians eased through with back-to-back 2-0 wins.

In the semifinals they further impressed against the best side in Europe over the past five years as they pounded Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate.

Bayern Munich have also strolled to the Bundesliga title winning it an earlier stage than any other side in German history. While Dortmund have been a long way off the pace domestically, in Europe their performances have been superb. Having topped a group including Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax, Jurgen Klopp’s young side overcame some jitters with an extraordinary late comeback to defeat Malaga in the last eight. And in the semifinals they proved that they belong at Europe’s top table with a stunning victory over Madrid.

There is also the sense of David against Goliath that adds interest and spice to any match. Bayern, the historical power in Germany, are focused on proving that their domination remains at home while establishing themselves as the kings of Europe after losing two Champions League finals in the past three seasons.

Yet, Dortmund, with their exciting squad, has somehow managed to compete and did even more when they won back-to-back Bundesliga titles between 2010 and 2012. The fact that they have half the wage bill of Bayern says something for how well Dortmund have done.

It is that fact financial discrepancy, though, that also at least in part explains why Gotze has been lured to Munich and why Dortmund face such a challenge to ensure that Saturday’s Champions League final will not be the zenith of the Klopp era at the Westfalenstadion. As if losing Germany’s biggest young talent and the symbol of Dortmund’s revival wasn’t enough, it is widely believed that their prolific and influential striker Robert Lewandowski has also agreed to join Munich.

Yet, Dortmund have recovered from setbacks in the past. Following their league and cup double last season they lost Shinji Kagawa to global powerhouse Manchester United, a year after losing the Bundesliga player of the season, Nuri Sahin, to Real Madrid.

And preparations are already being made for life after Gotze with reported interest in more of Europe’s leading young talent like Christian Eriksen and Kevin de Bruyne. Life without Gotze now begins earlier than expected on Saturday and his absence could mean the underrated heartbeat of the side Ilkay Gundogan stepping forward or the ever reliable Kevin Grosskreutz coming into the lineup and the talented Marco Reus moving in from the left.

Jurgen-Kloop

Munich provide phenomenally strong competitors, but it would be foolhardy to write off Dortmund either to regenerate again next season or upsetting the apple cart once more on Europe’s biggest stage at Wembley.

UEFA Champions League Final 2013:Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund tactical preview

When Borussia Dortmund take on Bayern Munich at the Wembley Stadium this weekend, the world of football will come to a halt to witness what probably is going to be the biggest game of the 2012-13 season. On one hand,Borussia  Dortmund will look to end their campaign in the best possible way, having already lost out on the Bundesliga to none other than Bayern, whereas the Bundesliga champions will look to exorcise their demons which have seen them end as runners-up in two of the past three Champions League campaigns. Jupp Heynckes, who is set to leave the Bavarian giants come the end of this season, will be eager to write his name in the Bayern history books by delivering the club the elusive grail of club football.

Wembley-Stadium-UEFA-Champions-League-2013-Final

Latest Team News

Borussia Dortmund – Mario Goetze has been officially ruled out of the final thanks to a ligament tear he suffered in the 2nd leg of the semi-finals against Real Madrid. Defender Mats Hummels, who was initially a major doubt for the tie, has reportedly made good progress and seems fit to start come Saturday.

Bayern Munich – Long term absentee Holger Badstuber continues to sit on the sidelines following another injury which will reportedly keep him out for another four to six months. Toni Kroos, another on the injury list, isn’t expected to return any time soon.

Team lineups and tactical brief :

With Mario Goetze ruled out with injury, there is little doubt that Marco Reus will be shifted to the center, with left sided Kevin Grosskruetz coming into the side. Kuba will look to continue his fine form down the right. In the past fixtures this season, Jurgen Klopp has twice played a 4-3-3 against Bayern, with one of either Grosskreutz or Kuba playing in midfield alongside Bender and Ilkay Gundogan, in an attempt to neutralize Bayern’s superior wing play. Though one can imagine Klopp reacting in a similar way, the failure of the system in both attempts may play a part in the Dortmund coach going with his favoured 4-2-3-1. As said, there is no room for experimentation on occasions like these.

Another significant change this season, has been the way Borrusia Dortmund have seen the ball for fewer periods, but have been more effective in attack. Compared to last season, when Dortmund had an average possession of 54%, there has been a 10% dip, which sees Dortmund with a mere 44% average possession this season.

The ease with which Dortmund have counter-attacked this season can be put down to a training ground drill by Klopp, in which he gives eight seconds to his players between winning the ball back and having a shot at goal. Out of the 5 goals Dortmund scored in last season’s group stages, 3 were from set-pieces.

This season, out of the 10 scored, only 2 came from set-pieces. A major reason for this has been Ikay Gundogan. The Turkish born German midfielder has been a central figure to Borrusia’s European journey so far. If Bayern want to stamp their authority on the game, keeping Gundogan silent has to be one of the priorities for Jupp Heynckes.

Beşiktaş included Duda in the Muci transfer!

Another player who has been at the top of his game for Dortmund this season is new recruit Marco Reus. The midfielder, who has started on the left for most of the campaign, has more than filled the void left by Shinji Kagawa. The directness of Reus, i.e., his willingness to run at defenders, has added a different dimension to Dortmund’s attack this season, something which was missing last season.

Newly crowned German Champions Bayern Munich have been steamrolling past teams this season. The 7-0 demolition of the Blaugrana just about confirmed that Bayern are currently head and shoulders above any other team in club football. The Bavarians would feel it’s about time the holy grail of club football makes its way back to the Allianz Arena, after finishing runners up twice in the last three seasons.

One of Bayern’s forte this season has been their pressing strategy. Against Barcelona, the Bavarians pressed the opposition goal-kicks to prevent the ball being played into midfield.

Once the press passed, the players settled down on their defensive duties,Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez took turns in dropping deep to occupy Sergio Busquets, Martinez took charge of Iniesta and Schwiensteiger pressed Xavi. As a result, the Blaugrana midfielders had to drop deeper and deeper to manufacture their own space which directly reduced their influence on the game.

Given the absence of Mario Goetze, Ikay Gundogan will now have a much bigger role to play in terms of a creative outlet from central midfield. Going by the man to man pressing that Bayern have adopted off late, Bastian Schwiensteiger, in all probability, will take charge of Gundogan.

Javi Martinez will occupy Marco Reus, with either one of Mandzukic or Muller taking care of Sven Bender, who himself is a decent passer of the ball. A possible flip-side of man-marking Reus is his mobility. Given a free role in attack, the German could drag Martinez down either wing or test him centrally, which will tend to disturb the equilibrium in midfield.

I expect Bayern to form two banks of four when not in possession of the ball, with both Ribery and Robben tracking Piszceck and Schmelzer, respectively. Dortmund will allow Bayern to play the game in front of them,  and will themselves form banks of four with the hard workers in Kuba and Grosskreutz dropping back to cover for the fullbacks,  and will look to hurt the Bavarians at any sniff of a counter.

Gundogan will have his work cut out against Schweinsteiger, and given the midfielder’s susceptibility to Dortmund midfield’s pressing down the years. Given the flexibility of either Kuba or Grosskreutz to play as a third central midfield, Klopp’s men could well switch to a 4-3-3 if deemed necessary.

The Key player Marco Reus :

Marco Reus will probably one of Jurgen Klopp’s turmpcards going into Saturday’s game. As mentioned earlier, the mobility of Reus will definitely be a handful for Javi Martinez. Dortmund, this season, have looked threatening down the wings, and one can totally expect them to create a 3v2 or a 3v1 situation down the flanks – with the full-back, the winger and Reus joining them for support. Dortmund will resort to attacking Bayern from the wings and will look to overload the wing, which does not have the cover of the fullback.

All in all, this weekend’s blockbuster not only promises to be one of the most entertaining games for the neutral, but it also sets the platform for two of the most tactically astute managers to display their tactical spectrum in what is billed to be one of the best finals of recent memory, one which this year’s competition deserved the most.

UEFA Champions League Final 2013:Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund Starting Lineups

Bayern-Munich-Borussia-Dortmund-CL-Final-2013-Lineups

Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Javi Martinez,Schweinsteiger; Robben, Muller, Ribery; Gomez. (4-2-3-1)

Borussia Dormund: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Bender,Gundogan, Grosskreutz; Blaszczykowski, Reus; Lewandowski. (4-3-2-1)

Football Leaks Scandals Jorge Mendes Besiktas JK Series

More

Related Articles

Bir yanıt yazın

Başa dön tuşu
Breaking News