Bayern Munich enters the Champions League final as the favorite. The team took the Bundesliga championship with relative ease and has looked like the superior side for the last few rounds of the UCL. Here are the reasons why Bayern Munich will win the Champions league final this Saturday.
Focus On Winning
After years of underachieving, the team has repeatedly stated that it wants to get rid of the sting from last year's defeat against Chelsea. Thomas Muller gave Bayern a 1-0 lead in the 83rd minute of that match, but Didier Drogba scored the equalizer five minutes later. The game eventually went to the penalty shootout where Chelsea defeated Bayern 4-3. Back in 2010, the team fell 1-0 to Internazionale in the final. Bayern Munich's players have constantly stated that they do not want to be known as a losing side; look for them to be aggressive and potent when the game gets underway as they will be determined to avoid being labeled as choke artists.
Improved Play
During the Group stage, Borussia Dortmund was arguably the best team in the tournament. They only conceded five goals and dominated the toughest team in the competition. As the tournament has evolved, Borussia has looked increasingly weak. The reverse has happened for Bayern. Jupp Heynckes' side tied Valencia atop Group F and lost in one match against Arsenal in the Round of 16. Since then, the team has won four straight and outscored opposition 11-0. Against the almighty Barcelona squad, Bayern Munich put up an aggregate 7-0 victory over two matches. The team's confidence is likely through the roof and will use it in the final against its rival.
Superior Midfielders and Offensive Depth
No one is going to argue about Borussia's Robert Lewandowski being the top striker on the pitch Saturday. Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gomes are both great players, but not on the same level as their Polish opponent. However, Bayern's midfield is far superior to Borussia's, especially with the absence of Mario Goetze. The "German Messi," as he is often called, will be out of the lineup Saturday, leaving Marco Reus and Jakub Blaszczykowski with most of the offensive responsibilities. While both are extremely talented, they have just five goals between the two of them. Meanwhile Bayern's quartet of midfielders has scored a total 14 goals. Franck Ribery has one goal, Bastian Schweinsteiger has two, Arjen Robben has three, and Thomas Muller has eight tallies in the competition. Their abilities to score with such consistency illustrate the team's offensive depth. While Borussia will undoubtedly rely on Lewandowski for goals, Bayern has six options, including their forwards, to put the ball in the net regularly.
Perfect Defending
During the group stage, Munich conceded seven goals; since then they have only allowed three shots to cross their goal line. More impressive of all is that they have shut down two terrific teams in the final two rounds. Bayern defeated Juventus 2-0 in two straight games. Despite the Italian side looking good in the first leg, Bayern limited their chances in the second leg. Barcelona was destroyed 7-0 and their chances were minimal at best. Bayern completely suffocated Barcelona in the second leg at the Camp Nou and did not give them a single dangerous attempt at the goal throughout the entire game. The team only allowed 18 goals in 29 Bundesliga matches; Borussia conceded 42 times in the same span.
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