Dortmund to end on a high?

– Borussia Dortmund can take a significant first step towards breaking Bayern Munich’s stranglehold on the Bundesliga title by beating Werder Bremen today to become “autumn champions”.

Dortmund are seven points clear in the table and a home win over Bremen at Signal Iduna Park will confirm them as the top side in the first half of the Bundesliga season which ends when the winter break starts on December 23.

The unofficial title carries neither a trophy nor prize money, but 38 of the last 55 “Herbstmeisters” went on to become German champions.

Dortmund are set to finally break Bayern’s monopoly on the honorary title they have won for each of the last seven seasons.

Dortmund are on a five-match Bundesliga winning streak and coach Lucien Favre (above) said he was more interested in picking up a maximum nine points from their strenuous schedule of three league games in just six days than winning the title of autumn champions in his first season at Dortmund.

“We have three games in six days and it doesn’t do much good to talk about anything else other than our next match – full focus on Bremen,” said Favre.

Of more pressing concern is the fact midfielder Nuri Sahin, a product of Dortmund’s academy who joined Werder in August, has been giving Bremen tips on how to beat the leaders.

“Of course we have talked about Dortmund,” Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt said with a grin.

The midfielder’s return to Signal Iduna Park also gives Dortmund a chance to bid farewell to the 30-year-old who spent nine seasons with them and won the 2011 Bundesliga title.

Fresh from their thrilling 3-3 draw at Ajax, which confirmed their passage into the last-16 of the Champions League as group winners, third-placed Bayern are at second-from-bottom Hanover again looking to close the ninepoint gap behind Dortmund.

The champions have stopped rotating their squad, but Thiago Alcantara, who won a penalty at Ajax, and Kingsley Coman, who scored Bayern’s third goal off the bench, are both pushing for starting places following injury. – AFP

We have three games in six days and it’s no good talking about anything else. Lucien Favre Borussia Dortmund coach