Matchday 21 in the Bundesliga could prove to be the most important day in deciding the outcome of the title race come May. With second-place Bayern Munich travelling to the BayArena to face league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, the stakes could not be any higher.
Despite the fact that after this weekend there will still be 13 matchdays left to play, there is a sense that this clash has a considerable amount of weight riding on it. Last season, Bayern and Dortmund appeared to share first and second place every weekend during the tail end of the season, until the record champions overcame FC Köln on the final day, as Dortmund were held by Mainz.
However, so far in this campaign, Leverkusen remain unbeaten and do not look like flinching anytime soon. As for Bayern, despite falling to defeat at home to Werder Bremen in late January, they have been able to keep up with the pace set by Xabi Alonso’s side.
Nonetheless, while this may be a close contest to call for many, due to the quality shown throughout the campaign from both sides, there is a clear favourite.
On Friday morning, Sky Germany posted a poll in which fans could vote for what they believe the outcome could be for the Topspiel on Saturday evening. With the options between either a Leverkusen or Bayern win, as well as a potential draw, those casting the votes cannot look past Der Rekordmeister.
After 24 hours, a resounding 61% of the votes show that fans believe Thomas Tuchel’s side will leapfrog Die Werkself at the top of the Bundesliga table. On the other hand, 26% of people consider Leverkusen to come out victorious, while the remaining 13% believe that both sides will recreate their famous draw earlier on in the season.
Nevertheless, one would believe that a draw would only favour Alonso’s side, who are on the hunt for their first Meisterschale. A positive result against the record champions would undeniably boost the already sky-high confidence within the Leverkusen dressing room, and it would be hard to rule them out as champions after matchday 34.
GGFN | Will Shopland
