The news caps a miserable season for Gotze, who missed more than four months with a groin injury sustained on global duty, restricting him to just 21 appearances in all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s men. Guardiola’s predecessor, Jupp Heynckes, left with a treble, having also won the Champions League in his final season.
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Atletico Madrid proved to strong for Bayern in the semi-finals of this season’s tournament, making it three years in a row that Guardiola’s side had fallen to Spanish opposition at the same stage.
Compared to the hype surrounding his arrival, Guardiola’s departure has been low-key.
“To see how sharp Bayern was right from the start, even if the level was not as high as when we met them in the league in the second half of the season”.
In a game of attrition where chances were few and far between Borussia Dortmund, through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, could have snatched a victor late-on but the strikers’ effort was too high and Bayern breathed a sigh of relief. Hummels is the third Dortmund star to leave for Bayern in recent years, after forwards Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski.
“It would be a huge victory for the team but also in terms of sealing direct entry to the Europa League”, club president Silvio Berlusconi told the players at their training ground earlier this week. How does this change the equation for Borussia Dortmund given how pivotal he was in their 0-0 draw a few months ago?
Over in Germany, the DFB-Pokal reaches its climax with Bayern Munich taking on Borussia Dortmund at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
This time they could present both the cup and the league trophy following their 4-3 penalty shoot-out in Berlin against Dortmund after a goalless game, with Guardiola the focus of attention.
Dortmund’s only win was in 2012, a 5-2 drubbing.
Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels will lead his club into battle for the final time, before joining Bayern Munich from next season. Several Dortmund counter-attacks came to nothing, while Bayern searched in vain for the decisive final ball.
Gotze’s former club Borussia Dortmund have been linked with a move for the German World Cup victor, while his former manager Jurgen Klopp is believed to be keen to sign him for Liverpool.
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“Congratulation to the whole of Bayern Munich”. The other absentees are more long-term, with Neven Subotic (thrombosis), Jo-Hoo Park (overexertion) missing.
