Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola is confident the Bundesliga champions have put their defeat to Mainz behind them as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker this weekend.
Guardiola’s side were beaten 2-1 by Mainz at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, while Dortmund saw off Darmstadt to move within five points of the leaders.
It ensures this weekend’s clash at Signal Iduna Park takes on a greater significance than seemed likely a few weeks ago, with Dortmund able to keep alive their hopes of ending Bayern’s domestic dominance.
“Against Mainz we gave ourselves a great chance to win. We are not always able to perform perfectly and win, win, win,” said Guardiola, who will leave for Manchester City at the end of the season.
“We are more excited about victories than defeats. But on the day after the game, it was ticked off. We do not have time to think about it. I’ve learned in my career that it’s easy to lose a game.
“We lost to Mainz, we now fly to Dortmund and may also lose there. But that is not very significant in my life.
“The outcome of our games against Juventus [a 2-2 draw] and Mainz were not good, but the performances were. Against Juve the display was the best I’ve seen in my time at Bayern.
“Against Mainz we were good enough to win. We are not perfect. Sometimes you have to lose to learn what is missing in order to be an even better team.”
Tuchel has Dortmund on track for potential Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Europa League success in his debut campaign, having taken over after Jurgen Klopp struggled in his final season.
Guardiola paid tribute to his opposite number, adding: “Tuchel is a top, top, top trainer. He turned Dortmund’s form around within two to three months. He’s one of the best in the world.
“We’ve been very good in the league but the five-point-gap tells you how good Dortmund are. Of course this is a great game. It’s one of the best in Europe, we are focusing on staying on course for the title.
“Right now the momentum is of course with Dortmund, but in four years, we have rarely lost games in the Bundesliga.”
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