Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund went into their respective weekend Bundesliga fixture with one(1) eye fixed on coming Tuesday night title decider as many will call it. Dortmund trails her title rival with a modest four(4) points going into the seemingly tricky weekend clash at Wolfsburg which also have a shout at Europa League qualification. Bayern, on the other hand, hosted Eintracht Frankfurt in a clash that looked a potential banana peel, owing to the fact that the Bavarians lost scandalously 1-5 in the reverse fixture in November(Bayern's heaviest loss in 11 years).
The early game saw Dortmund cast away any doubt or concern of a slip up against Wolfsburg just after the half-hour mark, Thorgan Hazard teed up Raphael Guerreiro(32') deployed at left wing-back for the opener. Dortmund's victory was made sure after the restart, this time it was the right wing-back Achraf Hakimi(78') who was on hand to double the goal advantage, Jadon Sancho the provider that time. Dortmund with 57 points, temporarily cut Bayern's lead at the top to just 1, pending Bayern's late game.
The holders' response was instant but not without a scare in a humdinger of a clash. Thomas Muller(41') and Alphonso Davies(61') provided an assist and a goal each to put them on a path of a 5-2 victory over their visitor Frankfurt. Bayern seemed to be coasting with a 46th-minute 3-nil lead but was pecked back when Sebastian Rode and Martin Hinteregger(52', 55') combined twice for the latter to cut the scoreline to 3-2. However, Hinteregger(74') completed his bizarre hattrick when he put the ball into his own net as Bayern regained a cushion. Leon Goretzka(17') and Robert Lewandowski(46') were the other Bayern scorers as they restored a 4-point gap over Dortmund at the top the Bundesliga.
Dortmund vs Bayern:
Clashes between these two(2) have produced fireworks in recent years and if the last 5 meetings in all competitions are anything to go by, then respective fans and neutrals should expect another fierce game with at least two(2) goals.
Also, last 5 clashes have shown victories for the home teams, therefore, a home-victory call for Dortmund wouldn't be a naive one. However, with the usual intimidating yellow wall of Dortmund fans being kept away because of COVID-19, it would be hard to say if playing at home will play any definitive impact.
A win for Dortmund would cut the point gap to just one(1), blowing the title challenge open with Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig just a few points behind in 3rd and 4th places respectively. A win for Bayern would open a 7-point gap over Dortmund with 6 games left in the 2019/20 season.
I fancy a 2-1 home win for Dortmund, however, i won't be surprised for a Bayern 2 nil away win. Both teams are on a good run of form at the moment.
Thank you all for your time.
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