Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title back in March but have been in and out of form as of late. The Reds of Bavaria were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid and haven't been playing their normal dominant football against the Bundesliga teams. Some of the Bayern board members believe their problem is the possession game that Pep preaches. Pep Guardiola believes if the players give full belief to the method, they will be dominant.
On the other hand you have Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund's 2013/14 season can be summed up by all the injuries they have sustained. Dortmund's Mats Hummels has had lots of trouble staying healthy. His partner in the back Neven Subotic has been out a while as well with injury problems of his own. This Saturday the injury report shows that Marco Reus is probable to play but goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller is doubtful. Health has been an ongoing seesaw battle for the Black and Yellows of Dortmund.
The German Cup marks Robert Lewandowski's final game as a member of Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski will be heading south to Bayern Munich next season. The Dortmund hero and top goal scorer has had to deal with heckling from the Dortmund fans including car vandalism. He will be giving it his all when he takes to the pitch, wanting to leave his future club with a sour taste in their mouths.
Mario Gotze and Thomas Muller have been unhappy with their playing time this year and rumors have said Gotze has thought about leaving the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season. When a team is loaded with talent like Bayern Munich, there will be players who feel they haven't received a fair share of time on the pitch. Muller has seen a lot of time as a substitute this year. I believe the big story for Bayern will be whether Manzukic dominates in the box. Mario Mandzukic's strength has been a positive for Bayern and I don't think Saturday's game will be any different. Bayern's going to most likely be without Schweinsteiger who took a knock at the end of the season finale.
Now we'll move on to the news on the pitch. The last handful of games have been back and forth between these two teams. At the end of last season Bayern defeated Dortmund for the UEFA Champions League title. At the beginning of the season Dortmund defeated Bayern for the German Super Cup. The two teams split during the Bundesliga season, each winning the away leg.
In my opinion I only know that Bayern will lead this game in possession. With all the talent being placed on the field in Berlin, anything can happen. Both teams will be supported by their fans that travel all over to see them. This game will come down to Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola's chess match. Will the possession game dominate for Bayern Munich or will the fast paced counter attack of Borussia Dortmund lead them to the German Cup victory.
