FC Bayern Munich: Will the Bundesliga's Title Race End on Saturday?
At FC Bayern's 110th Anniversary, Franck Ribery scored a goal in a tight match. Bayern won 1-0 in February 2010 and the celebrations ensued.
Despite what the hierarchy say, celebrations might ensue on Saturday if FC Bayern win their first title in almost three years (aside from the Supercup). The conditions are almost perfect for it.
The reason behind this is that Dortmund plays VfB Stuttgart in the league Saturday (game time is 10:30 a.m. ET). The last three meetings between these two teams have ended in draws. Stuttgart was the only side which did not lose to Dortmund last season. A draw for Dortmund or a loss will see Bayern crowned champions in the event that they beat Hamburger SV.
The word "collapse," of course, will pop up at the back of many minds. If HSV is beaten and Dortmund does not win, FC Bayern will be crowned the 50th champion of the Bundesliga and the first to be crowned in March.
Does Jupp Heynckes want his team to secure the title this early? Or does he want to focus more on Juventus now? HSV comes into this match without Maximilan Beister and German international (okay, called-back international) Marcell Jansen as they are both suspended. For Bayern, aside from Holger Badstuber, there are no worries.
The previous meeting between these sides ended in a 0-3 win for Bayern. Thorsten Fink planned his side out perfectly for the first half, but Bastian Schweinsteiger's 40th-minute strike opened up the floodgates. In the second half, Bayern displayed as perfect a performance as possible, as Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos struck two goals.
What will the lineup for this match be? This could be it:
Manuel Neuer
Philipp Lahm - Dante - Jerome Boateng - David Alaba
Bastian Schweinsteiger - Luiz Gustavo
Thomas Muller - Toni Kroos - Franck Ribery
Mario Gomez
Prediction: Bayern 2-1 HSV
