Saturday marks Bayern Munich's last match of the season, and although it will be played in the least prestigious competition in which they compete, it could have a huge effect on how the 2015-16 campaign and even the whole Pep Guardiola era will be remembered at the Allianz Arena.
This weekend's match will be the DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund. Played on neutral territory in Berlin, it will represent the biggest challenge of the single-elimination German cup tournament Bayern will have faced during the season. Yet it is a must-win for Guardiola and Bayern.
Many have spoken of Bayern being one of Europe's top two or three teams at the moment, and some even feel they are superlative across all of world football.
Many believe Guardiola is the world's best coach. But to be the best, you have to win. It's something Bayern did repeatedly in the Bundesliga en route to 88 points and the league title with the third-best points tally of all time. But after Bayern's UEFA Champions League elimination at the semi-final stage to Atletico Madrid, a side that lacked their class player-for-player, a domestic double is needed to truly call this team a success and to make any case of it being superlative in today's game.
History remembers title-winners, not nearly-men. And although winning three Bundesliga titles under Guardiola is good, three years without a Champions League final can only be considered a disappointment, after the club had reached three in four years prior to his arrival, while one Pokal trophy in three years would further legitimize the case made for underachievement.
Felix Magath managed to lead Bayern to back-to-back domestic doubles in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and he isn't half the coach Guardiola is reputed to be.
Matthias Schrader/Associated Press/Associated Press
Bayern were eliminated in last season's Pokal at the semi-final stage.
Looking at Bayern's path in the Pokal, a true sense of achievement can only come with a result on Saturday. True, they beat holders Wolfsburg last fall. But despite having won the competition in the previous season, the Wolves were a shadow of their previous selves in 2015-16, failing to secure European football next season.
Otherwise, Bayern's path was nearly a bunch of freebies: Fifth-tier FC Nottingen, 2. Bundesliga side Bochum, promoted Darmstadt and aWerder Bremen side that only avoided relegation in the final matchday.
A club cannot be faulted for beating the teams that stand in their way, but when the opposition is a set of sides with a fraction of their budget, the feeling of accomplishment can only be muted. Bayern are always favorites in domestic competition, and that is their cross to bear for having revenue, wage bills and transfer budgets that dwarf even those of BVB.
The pressure on Dortmund is greater. Despite having lower standards than the Bavarians, Thomas Tuchel and Co. will need to lift the Pokal in order to show something for their efforts.
Being the best-ever runners-up in the Bundesliga is hardly an accolade, and a team that finished second in both competitions and that was knocked out of the UEFA Europa League at the quarter-final stage just won't get much recognition in the annals of history.
Few remember Bayern's 2011-12 season, in which they finished runners-up in three competitions, and those who do recall a side that choked in the Champions League final against an understaffed and vastly lesser Chelsea side.
Although their Bundesliga success in 2015-16 is an accomplishment that will be remembered, history will look rather unfavorably upon the current side if that is their only trophy. That isn't Bayern's fate, though, and they have it in their hands to claim a double. But Guardiola and Bayern cannot come up short, lest this team be widely forgotten.
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