On Saturday in London two German clubs and their supporters will invade Wembley in hopes of being crowned champions of Europe. It's only fitting that two German clubs will be playing in England in a year the overhyped Premier League clubs faltered in the Champions League. Soccer Banter spoke to three college coaches to get their opinions on which club will win the biggest club trophy in Europe.
Antti Laitinen (University of Central Florida Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach): Clearly, it will be Klopp and Reus who will win it. In order for them to lift the trophy, they'll need two things to happen:
1) Lewandowski has to score one as he will get chances because of Bayern not trying to control BVB's buildup and as a result allowing them opportunities to enter the final 3rd by finding Lewandowski's feet in the middle.
2) Götze and Gündogan can't get carried away whenever Robben or Ribery get the ball out wide. Those two will have to stay above the back four in order to block the channel that the Bayern pocket rockets like to find before splitting the back four. If the two Dortmund midfielders stay disciplined and are able to force play wide, Bayern will have a hard time scoring.
Simple as that! Borussia Dormund will be champions in a game of calculated control vs a bunch of very good players.
Sam Lopes (University of New Hampshire Head Women's Soccer Coach): Bayern hasn't lost to Dortmund all season and enters a favorite in the match, but because of Robert Lewandowski's form in the competition and his ability to make the difference, Dortmund will win the match.
Antti Laitinen (University of Central Florida Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach): Clearly, it will be Klopp and Reus who will win it. In order for them to lift the trophy, they'll need two things to happen:
1) Lewandowski has to score one as he will get chances because of Bayern not trying to control BVB's buildup and as a result allowing them opportunities to enter the final 3rd by finding Lewandowski's feet in the middle.
2) Götze and Gündogan can't get carried away whenever Robben or Ribery get the ball out wide. Those two will have to stay above the back four in order to block the channel that the Bayern pocket rockets like to find before splitting the back four. If the two Dortmund midfielders stay disciplined and are able to force play wide, Bayern will have a hard time scoring.
Simple as that! Borussia Dormund will be champions in a game of calculated control vs a bunch of very good players.
Sam Lopes (University of New Hampshire Head Women's Soccer Coach): Bayern hasn't lost to Dortmund all season and enters a favorite in the match, but because of Robert Lewandowski's form in the competition and his ability to make the difference, Dortmund will win the match.
Dave Clarke (Quinnipiac University Head Women’s Soccer Coach): The conventional wisdom is that this is Bayern Munich's Champions League Final to lose. Bookmakers are in agreement making the Bavarian side odds on favorites to beat Borussia Dortmund.
The two teams have played four times this season with Bayern winning the two Cup games while the two league matches were drawn. Despite the 25 point difference in the final Bundesliga table, the results of the two league games suggest the gap is a lot closer. Dortmund coach, Jurgen Klopp, said he would sacrifice the league title to be fresh for the final stages of the Champions League and he is 90 minutes away from justifying that decision.
It seems to have been forgotten that just 12 months ago Dortmund hammered Bayern 5-2 in the German Cup Final. It was a Munich team containing the majority of the players that will play at Wembley. Last season, Dortmund also beat Bayern in both league games on their way to the title when they were focused on domestic success.
Dortmund head into the final on the back of a poor run of form and without a win in four games, but that won't be a factor on Saturday. Dortmund match up well against Bayern and have the players to cause them problems going forward. If Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski maintain their focus despite their impending moves to their opponents then Dortmund will lift the title in a high scoring game.
Check out Thomas Morrissey's Champions League Final Preview
The two teams have played four times this season with Bayern winning the two Cup games while the two league matches were drawn. Despite the 25 point difference in the final Bundesliga table, the results of the two league games suggest the gap is a lot closer. Dortmund coach, Jurgen Klopp, said he would sacrifice the league title to be fresh for the final stages of the Champions League and he is 90 minutes away from justifying that decision.
It seems to have been forgotten that just 12 months ago Dortmund hammered Bayern 5-2 in the German Cup Final. It was a Munich team containing the majority of the players that will play at Wembley. Last season, Dortmund also beat Bayern in both league games on their way to the title when they were focused on domestic success.
Dortmund head into the final on the back of a poor run of form and without a win in four games, but that won't be a factor on Saturday. Dortmund match up well against Bayern and have the players to cause them problems going forward. If Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski maintain their focus despite their impending moves to their opponents then Dortmund will lift the title in a high scoring game.
Check out Thomas Morrissey's Champions League Final Preview
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