Bayern not planning title party yet, insists Guardiola

Pep Guardiola stressed that Bayern Munich have not planned any Bundesliga title celebrations yet as they prepare to take on Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

The Bavarians will be crowned champions for a fourth consecutive season if they secure victory in the capital and second-placed Borussia Dortmund lose to Stuttgart, but Guardiola does not expect BVB to slip up.

“We want to fight for the title, but we are not getting carried away,” the former Barcelona boss said at his pre-match media conference.

“We have not planned any title celebrations yet – we will return to Munich after the game. I expect Dortmund to beat Stuttgart, so we need two more wins.

“We have a lot of quality, which is only normal at a big club. These players won the treble in 2013 and have since tried to win every game. 

“It would be a huge honour for Bayern to win a fourth consecutive title. No other German team has done it before and it would be great if we make it.”

Bayern beat Hertha 2-0 at the Allianz Arena last November, with Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman finding the net, but Guardiola does not expect an easy ride against a team on track to achieve Champions League qualification.

“We should not forget that we are not there yet,” said Guardiola. “Hertha could win on Saturday – they are having a great season and have shown it is not easy to beat them. It will be like a final.

“I don’t know how defensive Hertha will line up. We have to adapt right from the start. Hertha are physically very strong and are high on confidence following their good results [this season]. 

“They can still qualify for the Champions League, so it’s a very important game for them.”