22
May

Psychic animals picking Champions League winner

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The animals are at it again. Nelly the Elephant has triumphantly declared that Bayern Munich will defeat Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final. This isn’t Nelly’s first rodeo, she correctly predicted 4 of the 5 Germany matches in the Euro 2012 tournament, and she hopes to get back on track with her Bayern Munich selection.

Some other animals are not as optimistic about Bayern’s chances.

Walter the Orangutan has selected the underdog Dortmund side to come out victorious, though Walter is from a Dortmund zoo so he may be a bit biased. Joining Walter on the Dortmund bandwagon are a pair of otters in Aue Favor Dortmund as well as a tapir in Leipzig zoo.

In England, Nicholas the Llama correctly predicted both an FA Cup and Champions League victory for Chelsea last year.

All of these animals just hope to live up to the legend of Paul the Octopus:

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During the 2010 World Cup, Paul the Octopus correctly predicted all seven of Germany’s matches, as well as correctly choosing Spain to defeat Netherlands in the final.

Paul unfortunately died of natural causes in 2010, but he had become so legendary in his native Germany that a golden statue was erected in his honor.

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23
Apr

Gotze to Bayern! Reaction and analysis

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By: Thomas Hautmann

Start of a new dynasty?

Bayern Munich flexed its powerful financial muscle once again in the Bundesliga by triggering the €37 million buyout clause for Dortmund star Mario Gotze, considered the greatest German talent in a generation. While the move itself isn’t very surprising, the timing of it certainly is.

The news broke late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, the day of Bayern’s gigantic home match against Barcelona, and just two days before Dortmund’s critical clash against Real Madrid. Dortmund’s team, and especially the fans, must now show incredible resolve and togetherness in a difficult situation. They must beat Real at home to have a chance at the Champions League final where, of course, they could potentially face  Gotze’s new team. What a game that would be!

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12
Apr

UEFA Champions League Semifinals

The Semifinal draw is set in the UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich takes on Barcelona, ranked by UEFA as the two top teams in Europe. The second semifinal is another German vs Spanish matchup; Borussia Dortmund plays host to Real Madrid.

There are endless storylines no matter how you look at it. Will we have an all-German final? Will there be an El Clasico to determine the title? Sit back and enjoy the ride.

26
Mar

Borussia Deutschland?

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Seems like the rising rivalry between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is now spreading into the German National team!

When Germany beat Kazakhstan 4-1 on Tuesday, all four German goals were scored by Dortmund players Marco Reus (2), Mario Goetze, and Ilkay Gundogan. Which may not sound all too odd, except that the German side has traditionally been anchored and led by a large contingent of Bayern Munich players. 

Now, with Reus, Gotze, Gundogan, and Mats Hummels, Dortmund players look likely to form the spine of Germany’s future, as Bayern veterans Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philip Lahm are getting older, and Mario Gomez is falling out of favor. Just recently, German media have been speculating that Gundogan will soon replace Bastian Schweinsteiger in the center of the pitch full-time.

“FC Bayern Deutschland,” as many have joked over the years, may soon turn into Borussia Deutschland!

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