Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola and Xabi Alonso.
Image by: MICHAEL DALDER / REUTERS
Image by: MICHAEL DALDER / REUTERS
Pep Guardiola has already been doused with the obligatory shower of beer as he said goodbye to Bayern Munich fans last weekend with Bundesliga success.
On Saturday night he bids farewell to German football, taking his all-conquering Bavarian side to the capital for the last game of this campaign in the German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund.
For Bayern it is the chance to complete the league and cup double, having missed out last year when Wolfsburg took the cup, and send Guardiola off to Manchester City in appropriate fashion.
Dortmund make a third successive cup final appearance but lost to Wolfsburg last season and to Bayern in 2014 in Guardiola's first season in charge.
They will attack Bayern but face a tough task against a side that finished 10 points clear of them in the league. They are decidedly underdogs. Dortmund's last cup success came in 2012 under Jurgen Klopp.
Mats Hummels, the German international defender, leaves Dortmund for Bayern in the off-season, in a controversial switch, but will finish against his new employers determined to prove his professionalism.
It is a unique situation that adds another personal twist to an intriguing clash.
Other matches:
Soccer 6 Pool 2
Glasgow Rangers v Hibernian:
This year's Scottish Cup final is between two clubs from outside the top flight, although Rangers have since secured promotion back to the Scottish Premier League. Hibs have a famous Scottish Cup hoodoo, having reached the final 10 times since they last won in 1902.
Crystal Palace v Manchester United:
Palace seek to win the FA Cup for the first time, while 11-time winners Manchester United are looking for their first FA Cup triumph since 2004. The tie is a repeat of the 1990 final when Alex Ferguson won his first trophy as Manchester United manager with a 1-0 replay victory following a thrilling 3-3 draw. Palace have not beaten Man Utd in their last six meetings.
KV Kortrijk v Charleroi:
These two Belgian clubs are competing in a play-off battle as they seek a place in next season's Europa League. On Friday last week Charleroi scored a tenuous 1-0 win in the first leg of the tie with a last-minute goal.
AC Milan v Juventus:
The double looms for Juventus, who made a miraculous recovery after a horror start to the season. From the end of October, they won 15 in a row to catch up with Napoli, then drew at Bologna before winning 10 more to canter to the Serie A crown. Their balance for the season includes home-and-away success over AC Milan, who they meet in the Copa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Olympique Marseille v Paris St Germain:
PSG seek to complete a clean sweep of the honours in France, having already garnered the Ligue1 title with a record 96-point haul, 31 more than their nearest challengers, and also beating Lille in the League Cup final last month. Marseille finished in the bottom half of the league.
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