Schweinsteiger wary of Dortmund
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger refused to rule Borussia Dortmund out of the title race despite currently being 12 points ahead of them in the table.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Die Roten have been very impressive in the first half of the Bundesliga season, currently topping the table on 42 points, a commanding nine points ahead of nearest challengers Bayer Leverkusen.
In contrast, reigning Bundesliga champions Dortmund have struggled with inconsistency in this campaign, picking up only eight wins from the first 17 games, even suffering shock losses to lowly Wolfsburg in the process.
However, Schweinsteiger believes that Die Borussen could still prove a threat to Bayern for the Bundesliga title.
When asked whether Dortmund were out of the title race, Schweinsteiger told Bild in unequivocal fashion: "The answer is 'no'."
"Dortmund is a really good team, who have now established themselves in Europe.
"Even the top teams in the Champions League have had problems with their pressing style of football.
"And that is good for football in Germany in general."
The 28-year-old further claimed that the rise of Dortmund as a footballing power in recent times was proving to be good for the game in Germany.
"The rivalry between Dortmund and Bayern raises the quality of both teams and of the national team," Schweinsteiger added.
"Perhaps even for teams like Schalke 04 who are also competing at the top.
"We have to take the next step of winning an international title and I want to be a part of that."
Schweinsteiger also hinted that he may not remain at the club after his contract expires in 2016.
"My contract with Bayern Munich runs until June 2016," Schweinsteiger was quoted as saying by Bild.
"I signed it with the intention to fulfil it.
"I can imagine all kinds of things after that.
"You cannot rule anything out in football."
Bayern will not be in action until the 19th of January as the Bundesliga heads into their traditional winter break.