Bayern seeking title win at home

BAYERN MUNICH will be seeking to wrap up a sixth straight Bundesliga title when they take on old foes Borussia Dortmund tomorrow – but much will also depend on how second-place Schalke perform.

Some of the edge of recent seasons has gone off the the German “klassiker” in view of the current 18-point margin between Bayern and third-placed Dortmund.

Yet there is still a lot more than just prestige at stake when the two sides meet in Munich’s Allianz Arena, with Dortmund out to spoil any title celebrations while seeking points in the race for a Champions League spot next season and at the same time getting the better of their own local rivals Schalke.

Dortmund, who are now 12 Bundesliga games unbeaten under coach Peter Stoeger, also want to avenge a 3-1 home defeat earlier in the season and a 2-1 loss to Bayern in the last 16 of the German Cup.

Another win and the title celebrations would be icing on the cake for Bayern, who have never clinched a championship by beating Dortmund and have not captured a Bundesliga title on the day at home since 2000.

Since the Allianz Arena opened in 2005, Bayern have been champions eight times but are still waiting to celebrate a title win in the stadium. In 2015, they did win at home against Hertha Berlin with four games still remaining – but the title was only confirmed the following day when Wolfsburg lost at Moenchengladbach.

Now a lot depends on the result of tomorrow’s earlier encounter between Schalke and Freiburg. If the home team – 17 points behind Bayern – fail to win, Jupp Heynckes’s side can seal the title by beating Dortmund with six games still outstanding.

It will be the second opportunity Bayern have had for an early title triumph, but a 2-1 defeat at Leipzig and wins for Schalke and Dortmund meant they could not equal their own record of securing the title on matchday 27. Dortmund are extremely keen to prolong the wait.

“We haven’t lost in 12, and we don’t want to facilitate the title party in Munich,” Stoeger said.

“We absolutely don’t want to be there when Bayern celebrate the title.”

Both coaches are waiting for fitness reports on key players. Bayern central defender Jerome Boateng took a knock on the calf muscle playing for Germany against Brazil on Tuesday and could be ruled out, while Dortmund have question marks over among others midfielder Marco Reus, who looks unlikely to have recovered from a groin strain.

Schalke will at least be favourites to beat struggling Freiburg after winning their last five Bundesliga games as they seek to equal a club record of six wins in a row. In the last four matches they have also kept a clean sheet.

The visitors on the other hand have won just one of their last eight league games and have slipped to five points off the relegation playoff place. Elsewhere, bottom side Hamburg are at Stuttgart, while second-last Cologne travel to Hoffenheim in tough matches for the two favourites for the drop.

Fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen greet Augsburg while sixth-placed Leipzig are at Hanover.

On Sunday, third-last Mainz will be able to stop their free fall when they greet Borussia Moenchengladbach, while fourth-placed Eintracht Frankurt will be out to underline their Champions League aspirations at Werder Bremen. – dpa € € midfielder Adam Lallana (pix) is determined to make a late-season push to secure his place in the England World Cup squad despite missing a majority of the campaign through injury. The 29-year-old, who sat out the first half of the campaign after suffering a pre-season thigh strain, believes greater involvement in Liverpool’s run-in will bolster his chances of being included in Gareth Southgate’s 23-man squad for Russia. He made his first England appearance of the season in their 1-1 draw with Italy on Tuesday and remains hopeful of picking up more game time, starting with Liverpool’s Premier League visit to Crystal Palace tomorrow. “It’s been a bit stop-start,” Lallana, who has only started one league game for Liverpool this term, told British media. “It’s been a different challenge for me this season. I’ve had a long layoff but I’m back at the business end of the season, and I’ve got to look at the positives.

“We’ve got the World Cup, some really important league games and the Champions League. I just need to get that rhythm, and you need to get minutes on the pitch. It’s not just about training, it’s about competitive football.”

Lallana has likened his situation to that of Darren Anderton, who had an injury-blighted spell at Tottenham Hotspur but managed to seal a place in England’s 1998 World Cup squad and played all four of the side’s matches in France.

The former Southampton player said he shared a strong relationship with Southgate but had refused to take anything for granted before the England manager named his squad for the June-July tournament in Russia.

“We’ve been speaking throughout the season, he’s been interested to know where I’ve been with my rehab,” Lallana added.

“He recognises what I bring to the team, my team mates recognise that and so do I. I’m smart enough not to be complacent, there’s enough talent that wants to get into the squad.”

England begin their World Cup campaign against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18. Panama and Belgium are their other two Group G opponents. – Reuters