MYS
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Let's start with the permutations. Bayern simply have to win in Cologne - that's the only way they have a mathematical chance of overtaking Dortmund. If Thomas Tuchel's team succeed and BVB drop points, the title will stay in Munich for the 11th successive year. To recap: a Bayern win coupled with a Dortmund defeat or draw is the requirement. Victory for the Black-Yellows, on the other hand, would render Bayern's best efforts academic. Encouragingly for Bayern, they have wrestled back the initiative in the title race on the only other two matchdays this season when Dortmund have led the table. On Matchday 26, Bayern beat BVB 4-2 to reclaim top spot following an unfavourable combination of results prior to the March international break. On Matchday 30, the record champions responded to their title rivals' 1-1 draw at Bochum by beating Hertha Berlin to go a point clear. Indeed, Bayern have a perfect record after losing in the league this season, so will be confident of delivering the necessary response to last weekend's 3-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig. Dortmund's recent record in the pressure cooker is less favourable. As well as the Bochum stumble, it's only a month or so since they surrendered 2-0 and 3-2 leads against the 10 men of relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart.
It's no secret that Bayern are German football's most successful club. They've won a staggering 31 Bundesliga titles to date, including the last 10 in a row. One of those - in 2018/19 - went down to the final day as they held their nerve to beat Eintracht Frankfurt and deny Dortmund top honours by a two-point swing. There have been far closer-run affairs, not least in 1985/86 and 1999/00, when Bayern recorded Matchday 34 wins to climb from second to first at the respective expense of Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, claiming the title on goal difference. In 2000/01, Patrik Andersson scored a fabled 94th-minute equaliser against Hamburg to prevent Schalke - whose celebrations were already in full flow - from lifting their first Bundesliga crown. If you play for Bayern, it ain't over til it's over.
It's all part of the 'Mia san Mia' mentality. "Mia san Mia stands for the complete will to succeed. That's how we manage to turn games round so often. There's no middle ground, only wins," explained homegrown Bayern ace Thomas Müller of the club's 'We are who we are' motto. "Mia san Mia stands for a hardcore winning mentality with a good dose of self-belief, but without any arrogance. Whoever wants to win has to work hard for it. And that also means making Dortmund work even harder for what Bayern believe is their crown. "I'd like to see Dortmund win two games first, said Müller following Bayern's Matchday 33 loss to Leipzig. "If they do, then congratulations - but, until then, we're all about bringing everything to take three points in Cologne. Then we'll see what happens. If we win, we can still be champions." If Bayern do pull it off with a little help from Mainz in Dortmund, it'll be a fresh case of 'Mia san Meister' - 'We are champions.
There's perhaps no better embodiment of 'Mia san Mia' in the current crop than Müller. Bayern to the bone, the 33-year-old has made over 660 senior appearances for the club and is the Bundesliga's record 11-time champion. Tuchel admits his decision to leave out the veteran attacker in recent wins over Schalke and Bremen gave him sleepless nights, but the Bayern No.25 has started the last two, producing a goal and assist. He also scored twice against Dortmund in Der Klassiker, Tuchel's first game as Bayern coach. The self-appointed 'Raumdeuter' knows it, Tuchel knows it and everyone affiliated with Bayern knows it: when the going gets tough, Müller gets going.
Müller's one star name in a Bayern constellation that, statistically, have the best attack and defence in the division. No fewer than 15 different players have found the net in the post-Robert Lewandowski era, with three on double figures. Serge Gnabry has moved onto a team-leading 14 after firing in four straight games, overtaking Germany prodigy Jamal Musiala (11) and veteran striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (10) in the club's 2022/23 scoring charts. All told, Bayern have rattled off 90 goals, which is nine more than Dortmund. They've also conceded five fewer after 33 matches. In a season of incredibly fine margins, the record champions' superior goal difference ( 53 to BVB's 39) could well prove the difference between a 32nd Bundesliga title and an 11th runners-up spot.
Source: bundesliga.com
