When Bayern Munich takes on Borussia Dortmund today in the UEFA Champions League final, Dortmund will be facing their stiffest test of the 2012-2013 season.
This Champions League final features two German sides for the first time in the history of the Champions League; in this case the two sides are bitter rivals. Dortmund's back-to-back Bundesliga titles sparked a strong, financial push by Bayern to upgrade their talent, which resulted in one of the most dominant Bundesliga seasons of all-time.
Bayern scored the most points (91) in a single season in Bundesliga history, smashing the record of 81 that Dortmund set last year. They won the league easily, besting second-place Dortmund by 25 points, another Bundesliga record.
The historical high marks don't end there. Bayern was the fastest team to ever clinch the top spot in Bundesliga, ensuring a regular season title after a mere 28 matches. Their 29 wins bested Dortmund's 25 last season, they scored in every match this year, and allowed a Bundesliga-low 18 goals.
For Dortmund to win, they will have to limit Bayern's powerful offense, which topped the Champions League with a whopping 29 goals. 22 of those goals came on the inside, a Champions League-high, but Dortmund was one behind in that category. Where Bayern's goal-scoring advantage lies is on the outside, where they found the net six times as opposed to Dortmund's one.
Bayern hogs possessions, using precision passing to mercilessly execute while simultaneously tiring out overmatched defenses. This punishing style is the cause of Bayern's Champions League-leading 100 corner kicks, which no doubt contributed to their second-best 2.42 goals per game average.
Finally, Dortmund will need to contain Thomas Muller, who has struck pay dirt eight times in 12 Champions League matches. He has scored double the next highest scorer on Bayern, forward Claudio Pizarro.
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