Next up, we have the biggest derby in the Bundesliga coming our way on Saturday, April 8th, when league leaders Bayern Munich will be hosting arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. Bayern Munich have been dominant all season, but they are coming off an unexpected loss to Hoffenheim by 0-1. On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund are coming off a comfortable win over Hamburg, and despite their recent success, they are still 15 points behind their upcoming opponents, but still in the chase of a Champions League spot for next season.
Bayern Munich (20-2-5) were forced to their 2nd loss of the season, as they were subdued by Hoffenheim on the road (0-1). Hoffenheim entered the match with quite some force, as they managed to record 11 scoring chances in the first half, with 4 shots on goal, against just a single one by Bayern. Hoffenheim were lucky enough to take the lead at the 21st minute, and went on to play solid defense throughout the remainder of the match. Bayern Munich were dominant in the second half, with 75% ball possession, 13 scoring chances against 3 by Hoffenheim, 5 shots on goal against none by Hoffenheim, and 7 corner-kicks against none. However, they were unable to score a single goal and left empty-handed for the first time since November. Even so, they are still sitting comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga with 65 points, still leading Leipzig by 10 points. They are still undefeated at home (10-0-3), where they feature both the best home offense (44 goals) and the best home defense with just 5 conceded. Moreover, they have the best overall offense with 67 goals, and the best overall defense with just 14 conceded. They will be happy to be coming in this match with just a single absence, as Muller is still nursing an ankle injury.
On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund (14-5-8) are coming off a comfortable win, as they easily overcame Hamburg by 0-3 at home. Dortmund were in control throughout the whole match, as they also took the lead at the 13th minute. They did need goalkeeper Burki’s saves in order to keep a clean sheet, as they scored a couple goals at the final 10 minutes of the match in order to secure the 3 points. Dortmund are now sitting at the 4th spot of the Bundesliga with 50 points, a spot that grants entrance to the Champions League qualifiers next season. Dortmund will be looking to move up to the top 3 spots that grant automatic entrance to the Group Stage, as they are sitting just one point behind Hoffenheim and 5 points behind Leipzig, with 7 matches to go. Even though they have the 4th best road record in the league (4-5-5), it still not anything great compared to previous seasons. There, they have won just 2 of their last 7 matches in all competitions (2-3-2), against minnows Lotte for the German Cup and against Freiburg. Despite their not so good Bundesliga bid, Dortmund are still competing at the German Cup, where they are going to face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. Moreover, they are still in the Champions League after overcoming Benfica, and they are now up against Monaco in the quarter-finals of the competition. They will be coming into this match with quite a few absences, as Durm, Gotze, Larsen and Schurrle are injured, while Reus and Rode are still listed as questionable to participate.