"I've rarely been so delighted by a Bayern Munich victory": BVB boss Watzke is thrilled by FCB's success

Watzke was particularly impressed by the two convincing performances against Atalanta Bergamo in the Champions League, the team that had knocked BVB out in the play-offs. "I have rarely been so delighted by a Bayern Munich victory because it was so clear-cut. It was brilliant," he told Sky.

For Watzke, FCB are "currently the best team in Europe". This season, manager Vincent Kompany’s side could also secure the coveted treble for the third time in the club’s history. Whilst the league title is all but certain, Real Madrid await in the Champions League quarter-finals and Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.

BVB’s season, however, has “a blemish”, Watzke emphasised: “There’s no point beating about the bush. Anyone who comes from the world of football knows that we had a bad day. That game in Bergamo killed us, especially in terms of the drama of it all. In the Bundesliga, things are going really well. I don’t think we’ve picked up this many points since 2016. The only problem is that Bayern always decide whether you can become German champions or not.”

With 61 points from 27 matchdays, Borussia have already surpassed last season’s tally (57) and could even beat the record of 82 points set in the 2012 championship under Jürgen Klopp. Second place looks set to be secured this season. The lead over the chasing pack stands at eleven points, although VfB Stuttgart could reduce the gap over FC Augsburg on Sunday.