Bayern close to dropping out of Bundesliga title picture
Published:Philipp Lahm believes that Bayern Munich can now not afford to drop any more points if they are to win the Bundesliga title this season.
While leaders Borussia Dortmund have only dropped five points through their opening 11 Bundesliga games, Bayern have been giving them away for fun.
Mainz have left the Allianz Arena with three points, while Cologne also took a point from their away game with the reigning Bundesliga champions.
The latest slip up came away at Borussia Monchengladbach, where defender Lahm himself conjured up a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw.
This result means that Bayern are 12 points behind Dortmund and Lahm knows the troubled position the club has left themselves in.
He told AP: “We are so many points behind that we cannot afford to drop any more, and we have dropped some here.
“We lost the ball too easily at the start of the second half. This is not the first time this has happened, only this time we have been punished.”
Munich are still 15/8 to win the Bundesliga despite their average start which has left them ninth in the current league standings.
Meanwhile, Dortmund are 11/10 to take the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2002.
Some positive news for Munich in their title aspirations is that leading attacking duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are close to returning to action after relatively long injury troubles.
Robben is yet to feature this season after picking up an injury representing Holland at the World Cup and Ribery has been missing for six weeks after damaging ankle ligaments in a victory over Hoffenheim.
Nuremburg will present the next challenge to Bayern and Ribery is expected to play some part in the Bavaria derby.
Nuremburg are currently two points ahead of Bayern in the Bundesliga standings and 350/1 to take the title. See the complete Bundesliga winners betting odds market.
