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Coach Thomas Tuchel does not perceive BVB

Dhe best news of the week will not help Thomas Tuchel in the championship fight with Borussia Dortmund, which is becoming more and more acute. Manuel Neuer is training again on the soccer field, which the Bayern coach almost enthusiastically described as “sensational news” on Friday. Tuchel’s eyes shone. Almost five months after breaking his leg, the 37-year-old Neuer dives again after the first light shots.

This Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky), the Bayern captain will again only be able to sit in the stands of the Munich Arena and cheer for his teammates a few hours before BVB’s evening game against Borussia Mönchengladbach against Neuers former club FC Schalke 04 want to present again successfully in the title duel like last weekend. If both top teams successfully complete their tasks again, Bayern will then go into the last two title rounds with a minimal one-point lead.

Staying first is the only thing that interests Tuchel at the end of the season. “We have to win the German championship. We have nothing to lose. We’re chasing the title,” said the 49-year-old. The title competitor interests him zero point zero, said the former BVB coach: “With all due respect, I don’t even notice Dortmund, not at all. Because I don’t care! We’re one point ahead. We have it in our own hands. I look at the finish line. I look at our team. This is the key approach and an advantage.”

“Thomas is Bayern Munich!”

Schalke, Leipzig, Cologne, three wins and the eleventh championship title in a row would be perfect. No matter what Dortmund does. For the last remaining title option, Tuchel demands that his players put all egoism on hold. “Everyone has to put their personal situation and their wishes on the back burner. It’s now just a matter of finding the elf that harmonises, that suits the opponent. It’s no longer about allocating minutes, satisfying or pacifying someone. Now it’s the end of the season, now every player has to take what they get. The focus is totally tightened on the last three games, ”announced Tuchel.

The prime example that it is no longer about individuals is Thomas Müller. The captain was on the bench against Hertha (2-0) and Bremen (2-1). “Deriving a career end from this is completely exaggerated and misses the point by a long way,” remarked Tuchel: “Thomas is Bayern Munich! Thomas wants nothing else at the moment than to win the championship with us. That’s what it’s all about.” Müller could start again after intensive training against Schalke, as could Leroy Sané. Center forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, on the other hand, has not returned to the Munich squad after his knee problems.

Before fans and players in Dortmund hope for the next gala evening a week after Borussia’s furious 6-0 win over Wolfsburg, all eyes go from there to Munich, 500 kilometers away as the crow flies. Fingers crossed for Schalke, which is actually a no-go for every BVB supporter.

Coach Edin Terzic also pondered for a few seconds before elegantly answering the tricky question about Schalke Schützenhilfe. “It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s Schalke, Leipzig or Cologne, who ultimately support us a bit,” said the 40-year-old. He also focuses on his own performance against Gladbach, Augsburg and Mainz: “There are three games that we have to win first.”

Dortmund’s Lord Mayor Thomas Westphal had promised Schalke an entry in the city’s Golden Book if they contributed to Borussia’s championship title and thus caused a lot of publicity. Will it come to that? Schalke impress everyone with their willpower and unity in the relegation battle – including Tuchel: “They had a couple of very emotional victories, which gave them an emotional boost. Your faith is intact.”

But Bayern are also Schalke’s feared opponents. They have been without a win against Bayern Munich for 24 competitive games. When they last won the DFB Cup in spring 2011, Manuel Neuer was even in goal for the Royal Blues. For Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic it is of course crucial in the next “small final towards the championship” that “we have nerves, that we keep our nerves, that we keep playing football calmly”.

Noussair Mazraoui, who fought his way into the starting eleven as a right-back, also emphasizes the importance of nerves: “Dortmund feel the pressure in every game now, but it’s not just them, it’s us too. Both teams know they have to win. That’s the only option.” BVB showed nerves of steel in the 6-0 win against Wolfsburg – and not for the first time. This year, the Terzic team only played seven times after the Munich team. There were six wins and one draw – this one against Schalke, by the way.

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