Champions League Final 2013: Why Bayern Munich Will Dominate

Bayern Munich will take on Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final. While the rise of Dortmund is a good story, Bayern Munich are simply a better team and they will absolutely dominate the final game on Saturday.

Bayern are the best team in the world right now. They just beat Barcelona 7-0 aggregate in the semifinals of the Championship League. Bayern have a goal differential of plus-80. That's right. Plus-80. They scored 98 goals and allowed just 18. In contrast, Dortmund gave up 42 goals.

Bayern beat Dortmund in the DFB Cup quarterfinal in February by a score of 1-0, and Dortmund had just one shot on net. The squad has an absolutely stifling defense.

While Dortmund have Robert Lewandowski, perhaps the best young goal scorer in the world, they will be without stud midfielder Mario Gotze, who is out with a hamstring issue.

Gotze takes off a lot of pressure on Lewandowski. He's a terrific passer and an excellent scorer. Without Gotze, Bayern can shift all their defensive attention to Lewandowski, limiting his effectiveness.

Making matters worse for Dortmund is that Bayern goalie Manuel Neuer is playing at an incredible level right now. He recorded four clean sheets in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Champions League:

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#DidYouKnow @fcbayern keeper Manuel Neuer is the first man to keep 4 clean sheets in the QFs & SFs since Edwin van der Sar in 2008!

— Champions Matchday (@ChampionsMag) May 23, 2013"

In addition, midfielder Thomas Muller has been terrific in Champions League play. He has eight goals and two assists in 11 matches.

Despite losing in last year's finals, Bayern and Muller believe it will give them more confidence:

The cards are stacked against Dortmund. Despite the fact they finished in 13th place in 2007-08  and engineered an incredible turnaround to get here, they are just overmatched. They are without their star midfielder, meaning that Bayern have a chance to completely keep Lewandowski out of the game. Also, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is absolutely on fire, and the offense is incredibly potent, led by Muller.

Barring a major injury, or a major gaffe by Neuer, it seems that Bayern are set to avenge last year's heartbreaking loss and take home the Champions League final in dominating fashion.