Dortmund – Bayern Munich

The German champion will prove its advantage to the competitor

Borussia Dortmund for the second season in a row has been led by the coaching staff of Niko Kovac. This specialist took the team over at a time when hardly anyone believed in the possibility of securing a place in the Bundesliga's Champions League zone. However, the Croatian specialist immediately delivered the necessary result. In the current season the Wasps are also showing progress, clearly standing out among all Bundesliga clubs, all except Bayern. For the centerpiece match of the entire European football weekend, Dortmund will enter as the second-placed team in the table, eight points behind the leader and six points ahead of the third-placed club in the division. Such a position of the Dortmund club suggests a greater importance for the Champions League. At the moment of preparing this material the return leg with Atalanta in the Champions League qualifying playoff had not yet been played, but the 2-0 victory in the first leg indicates the Wasps' high chances of reaching the Round of 16. Bayern Munich has avoided the need to participate in this stage of the Champions League, and therefore has the whole week to devote to preparing for the match in Dortmund. The Munich club dominates in all competitions, having only ceded the top in the Champions League overall to the London Arsenal. Bookmakers have made the guests favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.69 on their victory. The second half of February was planned to be decisive for Dortmund's title ambitions. A week ago the Wasps trailed Bayern by six points and were supposed to pass their first 'exam' in Leipzig. However, instead of a win over the local club, they had to salvage a draw in the final seconds of the match — 2-2. If they win this and the upcoming matches, Dortmund would reduce the gap to the leader to three points with ten rounds remaining. But such a tale did not materialize. The Wasps trail the upcoming opponent by eight points, which will undoubtedly affect the players' psychological state. In the first leg Bayern fairly confidently beat Dortmund 2-1 and are fully capable of proving their advantage again against their arch-rival.