Bayern Leverkusen stands between Bayern Munich and a possible historic trio, when they face tomorrow in the German Football Cup final, without fans due to the restrictions imposed on returning after the outbreak of the new Coruna virus.
Bayern won its eighth title in the Bundesliga against rivals Borussia Dortmund, and logically guaranteed the quarter-finals of the Champions League, after winning 3-0 at home to Chelsea in the first leg of the final.
Bayern dreams of a repeat of his achievement in 2013 with Dutch stars Aren Robin and Frenchman Franck Ribery, when he won the Champions League triple, the league by a large margin from his closest rivals and the domestic cup.
At that time, he won the cup title a week after his coronation. But this season, the emerging crisis of the Corona Virus necessitated postponing the Champions League matches until next August.
Usually, the cup final will be a sports festival in front of 75,000 spectators on the Olympic stadium in Berlin, but only 700 of them will be able to attend the historic stadium, similar to the players of the two teams, technical and official equipment.
Among the few guests present is Germany coach Joachim Loew.
After the final whistle, the German Confederation President Fritz Keeler will hand the cup over to the festive music that will resonate in the empty stands.
Former Bayern boss Olli Hoeness found it "unfortunate" that the crowd was not at the show in the capital. Leverkusen sports director Rudi Voller felt the same before his side's first final squad since 2009.
"For our fans, this would have been a basic lighting after many years," said the former international scorer. "It is sad that we are playing in this huge facility in front of some fans."
Bayern seem determined to retain their title, although coach Hansi Flick believes his team will miss a lot of fans.
"The youths are ready for the challenge, and they want to win the next title, we will do everything to achieve this," said the Bosnian club's sports director, Hassan Saleh Hamidzic. "We are very optimistic about our ability to win the title."