GERMANS WILL WIN

The Switzerland national team manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has said that he is of the opinion that a German club will be able to achieve glory in the Champions League this season. It has been a barren run for German clubs in the Champions League, as none have been able to match or even replicate the win achieved by Bayern Munich back in 2001.

Only Bayern Munich themselves have come extremely close to winning the trophy once again, but they have failed at the final hurdle in two out of the last three seasons. Yet, Hitzfeld believes that German club still remain extremely strong and will be tough to beat.

Hitzfeld himself has a lot of success in this competition after he has won it with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in 1997 and 2001 respectively. He has now praised the business model of the German clubs, which will eventually lead them to the golden age in the next few years. Only a few years ago, Bayern Munich were regarded as the only Champions League team capable of progressing to the latter stages of the competition, but Borussia Dortmund have emerged as a real challenge for this statement. They have managed to win the league twice in a row, while they have also qualified for the last 16 stage in the most impressive manner this season.

"Clubs and national team profit from youth schemes. Bayern have Muller, Kroos and Badstuber. Dortmund have Gotze, Reus and Hummels, and Schalke have Holtby, Draxler and Matip, to name a few. The German stadiums are filled. Therefore, the good record of German clubs is logical. If Barcelona, Real and Bayern are regarded as the favourites, after this group stage you have to name Dortmund as well," said Ottmar Hitzfeld in his column on a German newspaper.