Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich both have potent offenses, placing a great onus on defensemen in the Champions league final. Which club has the better defense? Here is a breakdown of the two teams' respective defenses.
Bayern Munich
|
Major players: Dante, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm, David Alaba |
|
The Munich defense is easily the top in the world right now. That is the kind of recognition a team earns when it shuts out Juventus and Barcelona in four straight matches. More important than the lack of goals allowed in those four games is how the feat was accomplished. Juventus had chances in the first leg, but the Munich defense improved as the series developed. When they took on Barcelona, the Munich defenders were a well-ironed machine that gave the Catalan club's top players no space. In the second leg, Barcelona never had a clear chance at goal. Munich has only allowed 10 goals in 12 UCL matches; they have not conceded in their last four games. The team only conceded 18 goals in 34 Bundesliga matches. Bayern's defenders have only scored a total of two goals in the Champions league this season; both came from David Alaba. Borussia Dortmund Major Players: Mats Hummels, Lukasz Piszczek, Neven Subotic, Marcel Schmelzer, Alvaro Arbeloa The Borussia defenders are far more porous than Bayern's; surprisingly, Borussia looked like the more impressive defensive club heading into the knockout stages. Borussia escaped the dreaded "Group of Death" with only five goals against; three of those tallies were conceded in two games against Real Madrid. However in the knockout stage, the team conceded seven goals. Borussia's knack for conceding late goals is a reason for concern. The team conceded a 68th minute goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg. Borussia also conceded in the 82nd minute against Malaga and gave up two goals against Real Madrid in the final ten minutes. |
|
The team has gotten five goals from defensemen throughout the UCL run; Santana has two of those tallies. Borussia had an unimpressive run in the Bundesliga with 42 goals against in 34 matches. Edge: The numbers say it all. Borussia does step up their game against Bayern Munich, but their play in this tournament has become increasingly erratic. Meanwhile Bayern's defense core has improved as the run has worn on. Bayern has the defensive edge. |
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
