Edin Terzic took it with humor. When the numerous viewers of the club’s own talk show once again sang “Put Bayern’s lederhosen off” and thus interrupted his remarks on the upcoming Bundesliga summit in Munich on April 1, the Dortmund soccer teacher countered with a broad grin. “Why do you want to see them all naked?” Asked the 40-year-old – accompanied by the laughter of the fans.
The exuberant atmosphere in the Café Seepark in Dortmund’s neighboring town of Lünen reflected the brilliant mood in the BVB environment. Although the duel against the arch-rivals is only after the international break, it is already the big topic. At the latest after the 6-1 goal gala last weekend against 1. FC Köln and Bayern’s defeat in Leverkusen (1-2) a day later, the thrill of the title fight is back. “There were times when April in Munich was all about honor and pride,” said Terzic, referring to the district club’s sometimes large arrears to the industry leader in recent years, “of course it’s much nicer under these circumstances.”
Back at the top since August 2019
For the first time since the end of August 2019, BVB leads the table at the end of a matchday. Last but not least, Terzic is in good spirits that his team is doing better in the Allianz Arena than in the last eight Bundesliga games with zero points and a depressing goal balance of 6:33. Nevertheless, he does not see his team in a new role in the duel with the series champion of the past ten years. “We remain the hunters. Nothing has changed for us,” commented the coach on Sky.
The experience of the past years teaches humility. At the beginning of April 2019, the signs were similar. With a two-point lead, BVB traveled to the table on the 28th match day – and went down 0:5. Nico Schlotterbeck would love to do without a similar lesson. “If everyone gets their top performance, we can win in Munich. But we also know that Bayern will be irritated by losing the lead in the table,” said the Dortmund international of “Sport Bild”. Terzic sees it the same way: “If we not only approach the game with a dose of respect, but also with courage, we have a great chance of taking something with us. We’re far from done.”
Such combative tones cause Munich only a limited amount of concern. So far, the loss of the lead in the table has not caused any real panic. Bayern President Herbert Hainer is counting on a similar reaction from the team as in 2019 and believes in a quick return to the old balance of power: “That’s unusual if you look at the last few years. But such unusual situations usually always challenge us – and we usually have the right answer too.” He added confidently: “We still have everything in our own hands. We have Borussia Dortmund at home in just under two weeks. And then we just have to win.”
