On Saturday, Mainz welcomed Bayern, and for all intents and purposes, most fans and pundits figured that the title race would be done and dusted.
After all, die Nullfunfer had a lousy record against die Roten. Out of their last 18 meetings, the hosts had won just one match, while losing a very discouraging 15 times. Moreover, Bayern had pummeled their opponents in typical ruthless fashion in recent clashes, scoring a whopping 20 times in just four encounters.
Plus, there's the fact that Mainz had started off the current campaign in nightmare fashion, losing all six of their first six games and then picking up just six points overall from their first 13 ties. However, what really makes football truly the beautiful game is its unpredictable nature, and now, after Saturday's result, which saw Mainz upset the apple cart thanks to their 2-1 win, the title race has now been opened up just a bit.
How? RB Leipzig, who have been chasing Bayern for much of the season, won their match against Stuttgart. And while history has indicated that no team have been able to overcome a seven point deficit to win the title, there is a first time for everything.
Leipzig did lose narrowly to Bayern earlier this season, which was naturally quite disappointing to their fans and neutrals as that game would have tipped the odds in their favor. But there are still three games to go, and that means there are nine points left to play for.
So, in theory, it is indeed possible that we could see a team other than Bayern become champions - albeit it's a very tall order. Here's how.
On Matchday 32, Bayern will clinch the title IF:
- Dortmund beat Leipzig; OR
- Leipzig and Dortmund draw AND Gladbach and Bayern also draw; OR
- Bayern beat Gladbach (if this happens, it WON'T matter if Leipzig also beat Dortmund)
However, the title race will go on to Matchday 33 IF the following happen:
- Leipzig win AND Bayern lose to Gladbach. The difference between the two sides will now be four points; OR
- Leipzig win AND Bayern draw with Gladbach. The difference between the two sides will now be five points; OR
- Leipzig draw AND Bayern lose to Gladbach. The difference between the two sides will now be six points
In short, the title race will go on to Matchday 33 AS LONG AS the point difference is LESS THAN SEVEN POINTS between Bayern and Leipzig. If it's SEVEN POINTS or greater, the title race will be decided on Matchday 32.
It's set to be game on in a few weeks' time, that's for sure!
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