In the storm to the top of Bavaria: BVB showcases magic and dance

AAt the end of the evening, even the guys from the BVB were allowed to play drunk. Ludwig Hummels and little Eden Haller kicked the ball into the goal a couple of times to thunderous applause, tens of thousands of fans in the south stand smashed the century-old stadium kick of Lederhosen and Bayern – tuning in to high league voltage summit on Saturday, April 1 (18:30 in live on FAZ for the Bundesliga and on Sky), was electrified. The challenger travels to Munich on a par with the permanent champions, (almost) everything is at stake: after the international break, it matters!

“We have a great game ahead of us, but some of our players will be back and that will be good,” said captain Marco Reus after Borussia Dortmund’s thrilling 6-1 (4-1) gala against 1. FC. Cologne. The fight will take place on April 1st. “This is not yet a decisive factor,” Reus emphasized, but caution is no longer required: “It will be very important – and hopefully we will be ready.”

It’s a shame that the schedule now includes international matches. Nico Schlotterbeck and Jamal Musiala, Emre Can and Joshua Kimmich will fight together against Peru and Belgium, they will make sure not to hurt themselves: Then they will meet again in Munich as bitter rivals in the fight for the championship trophy.

“On hand when it comes to sausage”

“There are nine Bundesliga games with a lot at stake,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic, glancing sideways at the table and the DFB Cup quarter-final at RB Leipzig (April 5), he stated with satisfaction: “We are there when it comes to sausage.” But the brakes are not yet fully released: “How are we supposed to get the right to claim that we will be at the top at the end of the season?” Terzic asked. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best for it.”

Anyone who wanted to give Dortmund signs of a crisis after being knocked out of the Champions League and a disappointing derby against Schalke 04 (2-2) can immediately stop. The BVB dismantled – albeit badly battered – Cologne, four of the six heads were small works of art. “It was a successful and enjoyable evening, a great result from goalkeeper to striker,” said Terzic. “We can praise all the players.”

I was especially impressed that Borussia coped with personnel problems without any problems. Can is suspended, Karim Adeyemi and Yussouf Mukoko are injured, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel has a cold, Julian Brandt can’t play – so what?

Instead of whining, BVB really worked. Sebastian Haller scored twice, as did Reus. And the captain indicated that the eternal discussion about renewing his contract would soon be resolved: “We are negotiating. I would like to end my career here.”

So BVB is doing well again, who, as Terzic proudly calculated, has scored 28 out of 30 possible Bundesliga points this year. If Bayern add three more, things will get serious: then the league will finally get another terribly exciting final.