Bayern Munich wrapped up the Bundesliga title so early that the last few months of their campaign have been rather an anticlimax. The Bavarians were hammered by Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal, and know that their season will go down as a slightly underwhelming one if they don't add the DFB-Pokal to their haul by beating Borussia Dortmund in Berlin on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich, 2014 DFB-Pokal Final: Preview, TV schedule and how to watch online
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich face off in the final of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday
Both sides head in on the back of consecutive Bundesliga victories, though Bayern’s recent form has been rather inconsistent when the 1-0 and 4-0 defeats to Real Madrid last month are taken into account. Dortmund, on the other hand, haven’t lost since they were beaten in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie against Los Merengues in early April.
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More from our team site
However, their boss Jürgen Klopp has quite the selection dilemma over whether to start Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski in the final, given that he'll be departing to Bayern in the summer. He dropped to the bench when these sides last met and it did Dortmund no harm whatsoever, as they romped to a 3-0 victory. They will, however, certainly be without backup goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak, with the Australian international strugling with a knee problem.
Pep Guardiola will be without a couple of important midfield cogs in the injured Thiago Alcântara and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and has left top scorer Mario Mandžukić out of the squad altogether amid rumours of an imminent exit. A return to full fitness seems close for winger Franck Ribéry, though his back problem could still be problematic enough to force him to start this game from the bench.
Borussia Dortmund injuries and suspensions
Out: Mitchell Langerak (knee). In doubt: None.
Bayern Munich injuries and suspensions
Out: Thiago Alcântara (knee), Mario Mandžukić (technical decision), Bastian Schweinsteiger (thigh). In doubt: Franck Ribéry (back).
Projected lineups:
Borussia Dortmund: Roman Wedenfeller; Łukasz Piszczek, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Mats Hummels, Erik Durm; Sebastian Kehl, Nuri Şahin; Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marco Reus, Jonas Hofmann; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Jerome Boateng, Dante, David Alaba; Toni Kroos, Javi Martínez; Arjen Robben, Mario Götze, Thomas Müller; Claudio Pizarro.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. local, 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany
TV: Univision Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), BT Sport 2 (U.K.), Sky Sport 1/HD, ARD Das Erste (Germany)
Online: ESPN3 (U.S.), Sportsnet World Online (Canada), BT Sport 2 (U.K.), ARD Live Stream (Germany)
Listings via LiveSoccerTV.
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