Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund preview

April 11, 2014
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Bayern vs BVBThe Bundesliga title chase may be over but there will be plenty to play for when bitter rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund square off at Alianz Arena.

But, with the Millionaires facing Wolfsburg in DFB Pokal semis on Tuesday, Jurgen Klopp could decide to rest some of his star players.

Bayern Munich have been pretty impressive under Pep Guardiola and they remain in the race to win the treble of titles for the second year running.

The Bundesliga trophy is already in the bag, whilst the Bavarians are also in the Champions League and DFB Pokal semi-finals.

Nevertheless, it is evident the team have suffered a small dip in form of late, with their last four performances enough to suggest Bayern could face problems against very good Borussia side.

Following the first league defeat of the season at Augsburg, the Bavarians were forced to work hard to pip Manchester United to a semi-final berth in the Champions League, and they now face another difficult game.

But, given that Pep Guardiola is expected to field a very strong side on Saturday afternoon, there is value in betting on home win at 1.62 (5/8).

The Spaniard has no fresh injury worries, but Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Rafinha should be recalled to the starting line-up.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Neuer – Rafinha, Martinez, Dante, Alaba – Schweinsteiger, Lahm – Robben, Kroos, Ribery – Mandzukic.

In spite of some important departures in the summer, Borussia have managed to keep their status as one of Europe’s top sides this season and they were pretty unfortunate not to make it to the Champions League semi-finals for the second year running.

Even with a number of key players on the sidelines and the 3-0 defeat in the first leg, the Millionaires completely outclassed mighty Real Madrid in the return match and were so close to neutralising the three-goal deficit.

They eventually failed to make it to the next stage, but the stunning performance against one of the main favourites for the trophy will keep them in good stead for the Bayern clash.

And while Jurgen Klopp is determined to get one over club’s fierce rivals, he will also have one eye on the all-important DFB Pokal clash with Wolfsburg that comes just three days after the match at Alianz Arena.

Considering that he is likely to rest some of his star players, there is little value in odds of 5.75 (19/4) offered on away win.

The likes of Bender, Gundogan, Subotic, Schmelzer and Blaszczykowski, remain on the sidelines, but there are no new worries for Klopp.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Friedrich, Papastathopoulos, Durm – Kehl, Sahin – Grosskreutz, Jojic, Aubameyang – Lewandowski.

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