Like their Champions League Group A opponents Manchester City, Bayern Munich have dominated their domestic league (they’re already as short as 2/9 to win the Bundesliga). Like their Champions League Group F opponents Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund have recovered from a seriously ropey start to the season (three defeats in their first six games) into some very impressive form (six wins in their last seven).
Bayern Munich Vs. Borussia Dortmund, 2011 Bundesliga Week 12: (Maybe) The Best Game Of The Season!
The Bundesliga is a great league, this is their two best teams, and it includes Mario Gotze AND Tony Kroos. What’s not to love?
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The defending champions may have failed to hit the heights of last year (who knew Nuri Sahin was so important?), but having hit five goals in two of their last three games (against Wolfsburg and Koln) have established themselves as Bayern’s principal competitors this time around.
Although Mario Gotze, whose rediscovered mojo (he was especially superb in the evisceration of Wolfsburg) has catalyzed Dortmund's return to form, is fit after a comfortable midweek cameo in Germany's ominously impressive dispatching of Holland, the most significant team news for the away side is that Neven Subotic will miss out through injury. The Serbian centre-back was on the wrong end of (former Liverpool defender) Sotirios Kyrgiakos' elbow (the Greek's apology went unaccepted) and his absence will be especially keenly felt against a Bayern side for whom Arjen Robben is expected to return and for whom Mario Gomez will almost certainly score (he has managed to do so 20 times in his last 18 outings).
That probably means that Dortmund, who cover over 70 miles a game, will need to attack and attack hard - which is what they’re good at. This should, in short, be a brilliant game. Best of the weekend. Maybe best of the season.
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