Lahm wants to give Guardiola perfect send-off

Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm called on his team-mates to give Pep Guardiola a dream departure by beating Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday.

Bundesliga champions Bayern are record 17-time winners of the Pokal and beat Dortmund in the 2014 final in Guardiola’s first season at the helm, but lost out to them in the semi-finals of last year’s tournament.

Dortmund went on to lose to Wolfsburg in Berlin, which will also play host to the showpiece between two teams who were well clear of the rest in the German top flight this season.

The match will be Guardiola’s last before joining Manchester City on a three-year deal and Lahm feels securing a double will make a “good” last season for the head coach become “very good”. 

“We want to give the coaching team, who leave us at the end of the season, the best possible send off,” the 32-year-old said prior to Bayern’s flight to Berlin.

“It can be a very good season from what is already a good season.”

#Ribéry is also excited about Berlin: “The atmosphere is always very good there!” #FCBBVB pic.twitter.com/5pNT0SXG2G

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 19, 2016

Lahm is aware Dortmund pose a serious threat, but has been encouraged by Bayern’s performances whenever they have been faced with high-profile matches in the latter part of the campaign.

The defender continued: “We are playing against a team that was close to us until the end.

“They are a tough nut to crack, but we have self-belief. In the important matches recently we have always played very well.”

Dortmund are three-time Pokal winners and last claimed the trophy in 2012.