Lothar Matthäus: Dortmund must beat Bayern to keep their title hopes alive
Borussia Dortmund need nothing less than a win against Bayern München if they want to stay in the title race, argues Lothar Matthäus.
Lothar Matthäus believes Borussia Dortmund must beat Bayern München in Tuesday's game at Signal Iduna Park if they want to keep their title hopes alive.
If they manage to get the three points, second-placed Dortmund could narrow the gap on league leaders and reigning German champions Bayern to just one point at the top of the Bundesliga table.
And with just seven games left to play this season, Matthäus believes that nothing less than a win will do for 'Die Schwarzgelben'.
"They came really close to winning the title last year, and now they have the chance again. In contrast to Bayern, this would be an unforgettable success and the first major title for the vast majority of Dortmund's players. They can do it, but only if they win," the former German international wrote in a column for Sky and went on:
"In the event of a draw, I'm convinced that this Bayern team won't squander a four-point lead with the form they're in and the performances they have shown. They might have the tougher fixtures left on paper, but I'm sticking to it: If 'Die Schwarzgelben' lose and go seven points behind Bayern, it's over anyway.
"But if BVB can beat Bayern and narrow the gap to one point, we'll have a tension that hasn't been present a long time until the very end of the season," Matthäus stated.
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc is well aware that this is a must-win game for BVB.
"If we want to compete for the title, we should win the match," he underlined at the pre-match press conference.
Tuesday's 'Der Klassiker' will kick off at 18.30 CET.