David Alaba: "Bayern Munich know how to handle a run-in"
Bayern Munich may have been unable to take full advantage of Borussia Dortmund's slip-up on Matchday 31, but David Alaba is still confident the reigning Bundesliga champions can defend their crown come the end of the season.
Dortmund were one point behind the leaders going into the weekend, but their surprise 4-2 defeat at home to Schalke on Saturday presented Bayern with the opportunity to go four points clear with a win against Nuremberg on Sunday, a result that would arguably have been a knockout blow in the title race.
Yet Nuremberg, fighting against relegation and much improved under new coach Boris Schommers, defended doggedly in a 1-1 draw and could even have won if Tim Leibold's 90th-minute penalty hadn't hit the post and squirmed away.
"We were well aware of the chance we had today, so the atmosphere right after the final whistle isn't the best," said Alaba, before addressing the implications of the stalemate on his side's quest for a seventh straight Bundesliga Meisterschale: "We have a great team, great team spirit and we know how to deal with the games at the end of the season. We all know that we have a chance to win the title and we'll do everything to be successful at the end of the season."
Alaba's confidence is not misplaced: Bayern have previous when it comes to winning the matches that matter. In their final three games over the past three campaigns, the Reds have only dropped points twice: on Matchday 34 last year when the title was already won, and a 1-1 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 32 in 2015/16.
This season they must next overcome bottom club Hannover at the Allianz Arena, before facing awkward fixtures away to DFB Cup final opponents RB Leipzig on Matchday 33 and then at home to fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on the final day of the campaign.
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Given that difficult run-in, it was unsurprising that Niko Kovac could not hide his frustration at having squandered the opportunity to have greater breathing space at the top.
"We had chances today, but we still have to be happy to have taken a point. We struggled to get into our rhythm because Nuremberg played very well, but also because we didn't find the form we usually have. It's really annoying because we could've set ourselves up with a match point [in the title race] and gone four points clear."
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