Despite a close-run race, the Bundesliga title appears to be heading to Bayern Munich for a fifth consecutive year. Carlo Ancelotti’s dominant side are now on a 13 game unbeaten run and, with just 10 games left to play, appear to be out of the reach of their fellow title-chasers.
With 10 points now separating them from second-placed RB Leipzig, the title race is likely run, but there are still plenty of teams with enough points to snatch second.
Borussia Dortmund will be hopeful of doing just that. They currently sit in third, six points off of RB Leipzig, and will be confident that they can make up the difference over the next few months, starting with three points against league strugglers FC Ingolstadt 04 this weekend.
Despite finishing in 11th last year after achieving promotion from 2. Bundesliga in the 2014/15 campaign, it appears that Ingolstadt’s time in the top flight is coming to an end. Ingolstadt will travel to the Westfalenstadion on Friday evening in 17th place, with just 19 points to their name so far this season.
Maik Walpurgis’ side got off to a bad start back in August, failing to produce a win in their first ten matches, and the club have been unable to recover since. A decent spell of three wins and a draw from five matches between November and December offered a glimmer of hope, but they have since returned to their old ways, claiming just two victories in their last nine.
A draw against FC Koln last time out will have given the squad a small confidence boost, but that is unlikely to earn them a result in Dortmund’s backyard
Despite a lacklustre run of draws throughout the Christmas period, Thomas Tuchel’s side have since returned to their winning ways, claiming victories in four of their last six matches. Their good spell of form has propelled them back up the table. They sat in sixth heading into February, but are now within touching distance of achieving the second place finish that everybody expected of them back in August.
Dortmund have slipped up against some of the weaker sides in the Bundesliga in recent months, but with the brilliant Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line, they will be confident of producing a result.
The Gabonese international has netted five times in his last three matches, taking his tally to 22 goals from 22 Bundesliga games, and will be confident that he can bag a few more on Friday, as he continues to battle Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski for the season’s top goalscorer award.
Ingolstadt will be fully aware of Aubameyang’s ability, but as one of the league’s worst sides defensively, there is unlikely to be much that they can do to contain the lethal striker in what should be an easy win for Borussia Dortmund.