Borussia Dortmund have confirmed their young star Mario Götze will miss the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday through injury.

The 20-year was substituted early in the first half of the second leg of Dortmund’s semi-final against Real Madrid with a thigh injury. It had initially been hoped that Götze would recover in time to face his future employees in the final, but that will not be the case.

Mario Götze was quoted on the club’s official website as saying:

“Being fit for the final was my only focus, and I fought really hard to get there in the last few weeks. I’m unbelievably disappointed not to be able to help the team in such an important game. But I have total confidence in the guys and of course I’ll be there cheering them on from the sidelines.”

On 23 April 2013 it was announced that Mario Götze would be leaving Borussia Dortmund for rivals Bayern Munich this summer in a deal with €37 million – making him the most expensive German footballer ever.

Mario Götze has scored 10 goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances (23 starts) this season, and added a further 9 assists. His record in this season’s Champions League is 11 starts, 2 goals and 5 assists.

Borussia Dortmund have won just 2 of 7 competitive fixtures without Götze this season.

Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will be the 101st official meeting between the two German giants.

Here are the previous 100 official meetings between the two sides as well as the 1 unofficial German Supercup final in 2008:

UEFA Champions League

Bundesliga

German Cup

* = Neutral venue

German League Cup

German Supercup

* = Neutral
** = Unoffical

Former German Bundesliga, English Premier League and Norwegian international striker Jan Aage Fjørtoft told British radio station talkSport on Thursday that he believes Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski will move to Bayern Munich within 15 months.

Fjørtoft is working his second season as a football pundit in Germany with Sky.

The Norwegian told talkSport:

“Lewandowsi has confirmed to Bayern Munich that he will go there.

“I understand that he has two contracts, one that will start this summer and one that will start next summer.

“I have a feeling that when Lewandowski got an offer from Bayern they told him to stay for this season and then we’ll see.

“I think Dortmund will sell him now and there is no chance of him going to Manchester United as there is no chance of Luis Suarez going to Bayern Munich.”

Last month, Bayern Munich agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign their young starlet Mario Götze for €37 million over the summer, making him the most-expensive German footballer of all time.

Robert Lewandowski is currently the top scorer in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 23 goals in 28 appearances this season. His run of 12-consecutive league games with a goal ended last weekend in a 2-1 victory at Fortuna Düsseldorf.

The highly-rated striker has also scored 10 goals in 12 Champions League matches this season, including all four in the first leg of Dortmund’s 4-1 semi-final victory over Real Madrid. His contract is due to expire in the summer of 2014.

Premier League giants Manchester United have been linked with the Polish goalscorer for some time but look set to miss out to the 2012/13 Bundesliga champions.

Borussia Dortmund paid Lech Poznan €4.5 million less than three years ago.

On Wednesday Bayern Munich booked their place in their third Champions League final in four seasons by beating Spanish giants FC Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate with a 3-0 victory at Camp Nou.

The victory in Spain meant the German side became the first team ever to beat Barcelona in both legs of a Champions League knockout tie.

Borussia Dortmund will be the opponents for Jupp Heynckes’ side after they booked their place in the final 24 hours before the Bavarians with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich have already wrapped up the 2012/13 Bundesliga championship and still have three league games to play which starts with a trip to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (4 May).

The Champions League final takes place on Saturday 25 May at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The following week Bayern Munich take on VfB Stuttgart at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin in the DFB Cup final.

Should Bayern Munich win both cup finals, they will become the first German side to win the Champions League, Bundesliga and German cup in the same season.  The incredible form of FCB has seen them win 21 of 22 competitive games in 2013.

The only other clubs in Europe to have completed this treble (Champions League, domestic league, domestic cup) are as follows:

Glasgow Celtic (1966-67)
Ajax (1971-72)
PSV Eindhoven (1987-88)
Manchester United (1998-99)
FC Barcelona (2008-09)
Internazionale (2009-10)

Bayern Munich were beaten by both Manchester United and Internazionale in the Champions League finals of those recent treble winning sides, the only sides to do so in England and Italy respectively.

Jupp Heynckes’ side have dominated the Bundesliga from start to go this season and broken a number of records, with more still to break. However, the season may be considered a disappointment if they do not end the season with the Champions League trophy – especially after losing the final on home soil as favourites versus Chelsea FC last May.

Neither Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund have players suspended for this season’s final.

Match in a sentence

Bayern Munich will participate in their third Champions League final in four years, as they produced a fantastic away performance at the Camp Nou, defeating Barcelona 3-0 and 7-0 on aggregate.

Analysis

• Tito Vilanova made three changes to the side that lost eight days ago at the Allianz Arena. Lionel Messi, who played injured in the first leg, didn’t feature throughout the 90 minutes and Alexis Sanchez dropped to the bench. Cesc Fabregas, David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez were the three attackers in Vilanova’s 4-3-3, while Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Alex Song played in midfield. Adriano played at left back for the suspended Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets was sidelined with a groin injury.

• Jupp Heynckes made two changes to the side that was successful in the first leg. Daniel van Buyten started at centre back for Dante, who reportedly came down with the flu, while Mario Mandžukić returned from suspension to replace Mario Gomez. Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery played behind the Croatian striker in a 4-2-3-1, while Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger played in midfield.

• The tie was virtually over heading into the second leg, but once again Bayern Munich displayed why they’re arguably the best team in world football, with a remarkable performance at the Camp Nou.

• Bayern’s pressing was magnificent throughout the match, as it was identical to the way they pressed Barcelona in the first leg. The Bavarians pressed higher up the pitch, but when Vilanova’s men played past the initial press, Heynckes’ men dropped into two banks of four. The Catalan side struggled to receive balls in between the lines, as Bayern stayed narrowed, tight and compact, despite Fabregas frequently dropping into the midfield.

• Robben and Ribery tracked the runs of the Barcelona fullbacks, as they were constantly getting forward, attempting to join the attack. They did an exceptional job doing this, whereas Pedro nor Villa protected their fullbacks. Ribery and Alaba kept Dani Alves quiet as he was practically a right winger. At times when Bayern sat narrow, Alves was allowed to send balls into the box, but the Brazilian’s delivery was poor. Robben played further up the pitch, and when Bayern won the ball, he was a main outlet on the counter attack, as he relished 1v1 situations against Adriano. Frankly, quality in the final third, Pique’s last-ditch tackles and poor decisions, prevented Heynckes’ men from increasing their lead. Robben and Ribery created Bayern’s goals as the wingers exploited the space both Barcelona full backs provided. Robben isolated Adriano, providing a vintage Robben finish for the first goal. Ribery was the key man for the second and third goal, as the Frenchman took advantage of Alves’ poor defensive awareness and his advanced position.

•  Vilanova’s men also pressed higher up the pitch, working hard to win the ball back in Bayern’s third, but it was ineffective. Barcelona has been ridiculed for stepping away from Guardiola’s relentless pressing, because they’ve been exposed several times under Vilanova’s approach, as the Catalan side allow their opposition to play from the back. Although, Barcelona did attempt to replicate the pressing that was successful in the Guardiola era, they failed because it was disjointed. They hunted the ball down, but they failed to do so as a unit, always leaving a Bayern player available to receive the ball. This was the main reason why Heynckes’ men easily launched quick counter attacks.

• Another key factor in this match was the amount of time Schweinsteiger received on the ball, and the fact that no Barcelona player was keen on picking him up. Schweinsteiger was allowed to play key passes around the pitch from deep areas, as well as surge forward without any pressure applied. On the contrary, Andres Iniesta found himself dropping deeper, and having less of an impact on the match. He was often playing as deep as Xavi and Song, and the Spanish midfielder was unable to take control of the match. There was no link between the midfield and attack, and Vilanova’s men rarely got behind the Bayern defence.
  

• Heynckes’ made three predictable changes replacing Schweinsteiger, Martinez and Phillip Lahm, who were a booking away from missing the final. Vilanova brought on Sanchez, which pushed Fabregas into midfield, but that change along with the introduction of Thiago and Martin Montoya had no impact on the match. Bayern dropped deeper allowing Vilanova’s men to push forward, but Bayern broke quick on the counter exploiting the space available.

• Several questions will be asked of Barcelona, as they have suffered their worst aggregate loss in Europe. Over the two legs they were bullied, exploited tactically, and unable to create many chances against Heynckes’ men. Change in personnel over the off-season is imminent, as it’s evident that the team possesses many passengers and needs to revitalize their squad. Two consecutive semi-final defeats are unacceptable under Barcelona standards, but it will allow Vilanova to recognize the issues the Catalan side possesses. Over the two legs Vilanova’s men were second best, and the way they recover from this disappointment will define the strength of this Barcelona side in the future.

“Lionel Messi played in Bilbao [last weekend] because he felt better. In the final stages of that game he noticed a strange sensation but there wasn’t an injury. He wasn’t feeling well although he was training. He felt that in that condition he couldn’t help the team. It’s normal that you would notice an absentee like Messi.” – Vilanova on Messi 

• Bayern Munich look to avenge last season’s disappointment at home, as they’ll play rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Bayern has averaged 63.6% possession this season, but displayed their versatility in this tie. The Bavarians were the better side over both legs mixing efficient pressing with compact and organized defending. The Bavarian’s have gone 364 minutes without conceding a goal, convincingly defeating Juventus and Barcelona, and are one game away from completing a historical treble. There’s no question that Bayern is arguably the best side in Europe this season, but can they prove that on the biggest stage in club football? That question separates the Bavarians from being remembered as great side, along with the start of an era of dominance.

“I know Spanish football very well, especially Barcelona. I know the way they like to play and their philosophy. My team understood our tactical approach very well and they executed it perfectly. Our organisation was superb” and we got Robben in a one-on-one situation, which he loves. That first goal was obviously the decisive moment in the game.” – Jupp Heynckes post-match 

“I wouldn’t say we witnessed the end of an era tonight. Barcelona were missing a lot of players and we put in a clever performance.” – Heynckes post-match

Three Stars

1.   Arjen Robben

2.   Bastian Schweinsteiger 

3.    Franck Ribery

Stats  

• Barcelona lose by a 3-goal margin at home for the first time in Europe since their 4-0 defeat against Dinamo Kiev in November 1997.
• This is Barça’s biggest aggregate loss in Europe. Before this match-up with Bayern their biggest aggregate loss was by 4 goals.
• This is the first time a CL final is between two German teams. For the first time in 12 years we will have a German CL winner.
• Bayern equal the biggest away win in CL semifinals. In 1996, Ajax defeated Panathinaikos 3-0 and Bayern won at Lyon 3-0 in 2010.
• This was Barcelona’s biggest home defeat in more than 10 years (all official matches). They lost 3-0 vs Sevilla in La Liga in Dec 2002.
• This will be the first Champions League final without suspended players since the 2008 final between Man United and Chelsea.

Stats via @InfostradaLive 

More than three weeks before the 2013 Champions League final, the German Bundesliga is guaranteed to provide the winner of this season’s winner as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will square off in the final at Wembley Stadium, London, England.

Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the final on Tuesday night despite losing 2-0 in Madrid, with an aggregate score of 3-2. Goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos proved too little too late for the Spanish giants who became the first side to beat Dortmund in this season’s Champions League.

Jürgen Klopp has booked Borussia Dortmund in their first Champions League final since 1997 and only the second in the club’s history.

Bayern Munich will face Klopp’s side after eliminating FC Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in their semi-final. After a 4-0 victory at the Allianz Arena last week, the 2012/13 Bundesliga champions won 3-0 at Camp Nou on Wednesday with all goals coming in the second half.

Arjen Robben, a Gerard Piqué own goal and Thomas Müller scored the goals for the German side who in the process became the first team to defeat the Spanish giants in both legs of a knockout tie in Champions League history. They become only the third team to prevent Barcelona scoring in two Champions League games against them, after Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv (1997-98) and Manchester United (2007-08).

Bayern Munich have now gone 364 minutes of Champions League action without conceding a goal after a 4-0 aggregate victory over Juventus in the quarter-final. Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny the last player to beat Manuel Neuer in this competition. Jupp Heynckes’ side had kept just one clean sheet in their first eight Champions League matches heading into the final eight.

A Bundesliga winner of Europe’s elite competition this season is the first time a team has brought the trophy back to Germany since Bayern Munich beat Valencia in the 2001 final. No German side had won the Europa League/UEFA Cup since then either.

25 May will be the seventh time a German side has won the prestigious trophy. The previous six are as follows:

Bayern Munich (2001)
Borussia Dortmund (1997)
Hamburg (1983)
Bayern Munich (1976)
Bayern Munich (1975)
Bayern Munich (1974)

This will be the first time the final has been contested by two German sides and only the third time in the history of the competition that two sides from the same country have met in the final. English Premier League sides Manchester United and Chelsea met in the final in 2008 and before that Spanish La Liga sides Real Madrid and Valencia faced off in the 2000 final.

This Saturday, 4 May, Borussia Dortmund host Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park in what can be described as a dress rehearsal three weeks ahead of the Champions League final.

Six of the Bayern Munich first team run the risk of being suspended for the Champions League final should they pick up a yellow card in the second leg of their semi-final clash with FC Barcelona on Wednesday.

Head coach Jupp Heynckes has a big decision to take when he announces his line up for the return leg at Camp Nou.

Mario Gómez, Javi Martínez and Bastian Schweinsteiger all picked up a yellow card in the first leg, meaning they are all just one yellow card away from suspension.

Captain Philipp Lahm and the Brazilian pairing of Dante and Luiz Gustavo have all collected two yellow cards in the competition and will serve a suspension in the final should they pick up a yellow card in Barcelona.

Bayern Munich have a comfortable 4-0 lead to take with them to Spain but Heynckes will not want to let the four-times champions of Europe back into the tie by resting a number of key first team players.

Gerard Piqué and Alex Song are one yellow card away from suspension for the Catalans, whilst Jordi Alba misses the second leg through suspension having picked up a third yellow card at the Allianz Arena.

David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luiz Gustavo were all suspended for Bayern Munich in last year’s final.

In Tuesday’s semi-final, Kevin Großkreutz is the only Borussia Dortmund player at risk of being suspended for the final by picking up a yellow card. Sergio Ramos and Michael Essien are walking the tightrope for Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich’s 1-0 home win over SC Freiburg on Saturday was enough for Jupp Heynckes’ side to break another Bundesliga record this season. The class of 2012/13 has now racked up 84 points, surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s previous record of 81 gained last season.

It a much-changed side that thrashed FC Barcelona during the week, Xherdan Shaqiri scored the only goal of the game on 35 minutes when his free kick flew in untouched.

Two other Bundesliga records were set by the Bavarians at the end of this match. They have now won all 14 games since the winter break and kept their 20th clean sheet of the season. These records all set with three games still to go.

SC Freiburg were disciplined in defence in not allowing their opponents to many shots at goal. Mario Mandzukic clipped the top of the bar just before the hour as Oliver Baumann was only forced into four saves all game long.

Jerome Boateng was the only player who started both Tuesday’s and Saturday’s games, with Mario Gómez, Franck Ribéry and Javi Martínez all making cameo appearances from the substitutes bench during the 1-0 victory.

Xherdan Shaqiri put in a man of the match performance on Saturday, showing great dribbling skills, completing a high percentage of his passes and scoring the game’s only goal. The 21-year old Swiss star is unlikely to start the Champions League semi-final second leg at Camp Nou on Wednesday, but is likely to feature on the bench once again. Shaqiri came on in place of Ribéry in the final minute of the first leg last week.

After travelling to Barcelona on Wednesday, Bayern Munich travel to Borussia Dortmund in Saturday evening’s televised Bundesliga game.

SC Freiburg remain fifth after Saturday’s games, with both Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt playing on Sunday.