Berlin (AFP)
After its recent 30th championship title, Bayern Munich face Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday in Berlin in the German Cup final, in an empty Olympiastadion (20:00). His goal ? A 20th Cup ... and a second milestone towards a possible treble in August, in the Champions League.
In the more than 100-year history of the "Rekordmeister", the 2012-2013 season remains the absolute reference: led by its duo "Robbery" (Arjen Robben and Frank Ribéry), Bayern had offered an unprecedented triplet between the Championship flown over (25 points ahead), the Cup and the C1.
At the time, Bayern had won the "Pokal" a week after the European triumph. This season, with the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and the postponement of the C1 in August, the "Pokalfinale" is inserted between the Bundesliga (ended June 27) and the final Champions League tournament in Lisbon (August 12-23).
Faced with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, the Hansi Flick players will leave with very long favorites. Untreatable and untouchable since mid-May and the resumption of the championship after the forced break by the Covid-19, the Munich have won their nine matches, notably on the road to Dortmund and ... Leverkusen.
"The guys are hot and want to go for the next title. We will do everything for it. We are optimistic enough to come out on top," risked Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic.
- Optimism at Bayern -
The demonstration at Leverkusen fuels the optimism of the Bavarian leaders: four goals from four different players in about forty minutes to fold (4-1) a badly started encounter.
Especially since Leverkusen arrives on a much less positive dynamic than Bayern: the Rhenish club bowed during the penultimate day of Bundesliga at the Olympiastadion against Hertha Berlin (2-0). Result: the place in the Champions League escaped him in favor of Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The Bayer can however see a few glimmers of hope. First, Peter Bosz can line up his Kai Havertz nugget.
"With him on a good day, Leverkusen can beat almost all the teams," warned Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness on Sport1 television, urging the Bavarian team to be very careful.
In addition, "anything can happen in a Cup final," said Bayer 04 sports director Rudi Völler.
- Almost empty stadium -
Certainly Bayern won their 8th consecutive national title, "but they have not won the Cup eight times," added the former striker, who nevertheless sees Munich "the best team in Europe today".
Manuel Neuer's teammates will be partly turned towards Lisbon and the "Final 8" of the Champions League which will start in just over five weeks. Bayern will be part of it, on condition of confirming in the round of 16 return against Chelsea their wide first leg victory (3-0).
"The title of champion is an intermediate objective, that means that we have others," said Flick, who arrived on the Munich bench in December 2019 and confirmed in his functions until the summer of 2022. Hoeness sees him "a good chance of winning everything", including the C1.
From August 12 in Portugal, there will be only eight and only a handful still able to achieve this rare feat.
It remains to understand the strange atmosphere of a final without spectators, Saturday in Berlin.
As with the resumption of the Championship, the Olympic stadium (75,000 seats) will remain empty, or almost, because 700 people will be present inside and around the stadium. The Federation (DFB) had asked to allow 5,000 spectators per club, but the Land of Berlin rejected it, to the chagrin of the two finalists.
© 2020 AFP