With just two fixtures left to be in the 2016/17 Bundesliga campaign, the title race has come to a close. Bayern Munich confirmed their fifth consecutive title victory with a 6-0 win over Wolfsburg on April 29th, which put them out of RB Leipzig’s reach.
That win brought an end to any hopes that remained of the newly promoted side producing a fairytale season by winning the title. Yet, having fought off the likes of Bundesliga regulars Borussia Dortmund, Hoffenheim and Hertha Berlin this season, the club should be proud of what they have achieved in such a short space of time. And, better yet, they still have the opportunity to exact their revenge on Bayern Munich and ultimately have the last laugh this season.
This weekend will see RB Leipzig host Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena, with the match scheduled to begin at 2:30pm BST on Saturday.
Given that both teams have already booked their place in the Champions League group stage for next season, there is very little left to play for. Yet, given the way that their season has gone, RB Leipzig will be keen to walk away from this one with three points and, more importantly, the bragging rights.
That will certainly be the case after the last time these two sides met back in December. Bayern produced a 3-0 victory on that occasion that prompted Leipzig’s decline in the second half of the season. Prior to that defeat, they had lost just one match, but they have since suffered four more defeats.
The club’s director of sport Ralf Rangnick has seemingly already turned his attention to the summer break, after suggesting that the club were looking to bring in six new players throughout the transfer window, but the club’s current stars will undoubtedly want their revenge first, before they set off on their summer holidays. Given that they have lost just twice at the Red Bull Arena this season, we can expect them to put up a very good fight, regardless of the lack of incentive to win.
Their performance last weekend shows that they are still giving it their all. Despite missing out on the title, they produced a stunning 4-1 victory over Hertha Berlin to secure their place in the Champions League. Brilliant attacking duo Davie Selke and Timo Werner were the driving force behind that victory, scoring all four goals between them, and they will be confident that they can snatch a result again this weekend.
Bayern, on the other hand, took their last match easy, producing a narrow 1-0 win over relegated club Darmstadt 98. A similar performance against Leipzig is unlikely to result in three points. Although, with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben leading the line, Bayern Munich are always capable of producing a result.
Regardless, this fixture will be of little importance to the club, who will be looking ahead to next season, when they will have to defend their title once again. Leipzig are favourites to win this battle, but it is Bayern who have won the war.