Bayern Munich can now turn their entire focus to winning an illusive Champions League trophy after securing the Bundesliga title in record time last weekend.
The German giants beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 on Saturday to clinch their 23rd top-flight championship with six games the spare – the quickest-ever title charge in Bundesliga history.
For fans of Champions League betting, the 1-0 win won’t go down in the memory as a great performance but it did get the job done, meaning attention can now turn towards the European front where Bayern have a lot of work to do.
Carrying a 2-0 lead into their quarterfinal second leg with Juventus this week, Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes must be aware of the pressure he is under. Despite not winning the Bundesliga since 2010, this title was nothing special and what fans really crave is the European Cup.
Last season, they came agonisingly close in their home stadium only for Chelsea to ruin the party, while in 1999 Manchester United popped up with two late goals to clinch the trophy from Bayern’s grasp.
They last won the competition against all odds in 2001 and twice in three years have come out second best in the final. Coming so close to recapturing the glories of a past generation must be galling and Heynckes has one last stab at success before leaving this summer.
Betting fans can expect Heynckes, therefore, to heavily channel his playing resources into the Champions League from now on and almost neglect the Bundesliga as a result.
Bayern should have enough to bypass Juve in Turin this week and with Barcelona, Real Madrid and possibly home rivals Borussia Dortmund likely opponents in the semis the boss needs as many players fit and ready if he is to win the ultimate prize.
