Dortmund Can't Match Bayern over a Season, Says CEO
Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke insists his side are not capable of ending Bayern Munich's domination over the course of a Bundesliga season, ahead of Sunday's top-of-the-table clash.
German league leaders Bayern host second-placed Dortmund at Munich's Allianz Arena with Borussia four points behind Pep Guardiola's Bavarians, who have won all seven league games so far this season.
Dortmund won the Bundesliga title in 2011 and 2012, but ever since Bayern have dominated the German league, winning at a canter for the last three seasons running.
Under new coach Thomas Tuchel, Dortmund are unbeaten with five league wins, but have drawn their last two games and Watzke rejects the notion that they are "hunting" Bayern.
"We never saw ourselves as, don't see ourselves as, and aren't Bayern hunters," Watzke told German daily Bild as Dortmund finished seventh last season.
"We see ourselves as challengers of teams who finished ahead of us last season in the league.
"We want to get back into the Champions League.
"Those are the goals we have set and nothing has changed."
Sunday's mouth-watering match is billed here as Germany's "Klassiker", but Watzke insists Dortmund can not match Bayern's bumper, star-studded squad over the 34 matches of a Bundesliga season.
"Of course, we have a chance to beat Bayern in selective matches, there's no question about that, but over the course of 34 games currently no one in Germany -- and probably no one in Europe -- could deny this unbelievable quality," said Watzke.
With less than a quarter of the season gone, Bayern, on 21 points, are pulling away from their main rivals Dortmund (17) and Schalke (16) with Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen already well behind on 12.
The term "Bayern hunters" has become a label the German media is keen to tag on any team who get the closest to Bayern in the table -- and it is clearly something Dortmund are unwilling to accept.
Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking and sports director Klaus Allofs had to repeatedly brush off the tag throughout last season when their side finished second to Bayern in the league and won the German Cup.
Source: Agence France Presse
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