2013 UEFA Champions League Final: Why Yellow will overpower Red

When it was announced that Wembley would host the 2013 UEFA Champions League final, no one would have predicted that it would be an all German final, especially after the semi final ties against the Spanish powerhouses. On one hand, Real Madrid came very close to the finals in the second leg, Barcelona were completely outplayed by Bayern with a huge 7-0 deficit over two legs. Most of the football world must believe Bayern Munich are going to sweep over Dortmund come 26th May, but wasn't it a similar situation last year around? Here's my analysis on why Dortmund would be victorious!

Chokers:
When you say the word 'choker' in football, Germany comes to mind (ever since the Spanish won the 2008 Euro.) There hasn't been a team in the last two decades which has come to so close, yet remained so far. With two German teams in the final, you can't expect both of them to choke, or even of they do, expect Bayern to choke a bit more. But can it get worse than giving away a lead in the final just two minutes from time?

Allianz Arena painted Yellow:

I know this is a silly one, but late last year, it so happened that some bold Dortmund fans apparently broke into Bayern Munich’s fortress, the Allianz Arena, vandalized a box with their beloved club’s logo and then, executed the unthinkable. While shining red in the Munich night, the stadium suddenly switched to a fluorescent yellow -a color synonymous with Borussia Dortmund. They filmed it, and then posted it on Youtube. Check the video here.

UEFA Champions League Final 2010:
With Mourinho's Inter freshly out of ousting Barcelona in the semi finals the negative way, it was time they showed how to do it was done the attractive way. Milito's double totally nullified Bayern's attacks- and they were completely outplayed.

UEFA Champions League Final 2012:
The present team is roughly the same Bayern Munich team that couldn't keep a lead for eight minutes- in addition to the 3212649 chances that they missed during the game, owing to Chelsea's shaky defending, with two injured CBs- what more do you expect? Oh, and the final was held at Bayern's own playground. The fans kept singing- our home, our cup. Their Chelsea counterparts, however, had the last laugh.

Lewandowski vs Gomez:
Agreed Gomez had over thirty powerful goals last season, the two most important matches of Bayern Munich that I watched last season- he failed. In the DFB Pokal final against Dortmund, Lewandowski stole the show, and in the Champions League final, Drogba did. My gut feeling says it's gonna be the same thing this year too! If I had a choice, I would start Lewandowski over Gomez any day.

DFB Pokal:
This took place just a week before the 2012 Champions League Final. I couldn't smile as the goals kept coming and it was a good 5-2 thumping. Here are the highlights.

It was the peak of Dortmund’s dominance over Bayern under Klopp.  The win was an unprecedented fifth consecutive for Dortmund over Bayern and confirmed their first domestic double in club history. It also capped off one of the great seasons in German football history and one of the most exciting Cup finals in recent memory.  For Bayern it symbolized a forgettable season in which they ended up runners up in three competitions, finishing second in the league and beaten later that month in the Champions League final by Chelsea.

Underdog Tag:
That always comes back to haunt you. For instance, Wigan's win over City yesterday, Chelsea's whole UCL campaign last year- I love supporting underdogs!

Arjen Robben:
I feel bad for this guy, but he has a history of under performing in the biggest of matches- the Champions League finals and the world cups for example. Believe me, he's gonna do the same. Old habits die hard.

Season doesn't matter:
Chelsea were sixth in the league when they won the Champions League. AC Milan did one better- they were seventh in their league the last time they won the Champions League. Bayern might have edged past Dortmund quite easily this year in the league, but the Champions League is a different business altogether!

In general, I would want Borussia Dortmund to win because of one big reason- the people around the world. Last year, the world wanted Chelsea to lose against Barcelona, and then Bayern, and Chelsea did the unthinkable by defeating both. This year, after Bayern thumped Barcelona as is they were some high school team, people have started believing that a new era of domination has arrived (with Guardiola arriving this summer). Little do they know that the dominance would end even before it started if Dortmund defeat Bayern in the finals- and that is exactly what I am hoping for!