Champions League Preview: History and Redemption on Line for Bayern For a team that has lost five of its last six Champions League finals, Bayern Munich has no shortage of motivation going into Saturday's game against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Last year's heartbreaking loss to Chelsea in the final in their home stadium is sure to spur them on this time around; it has been a significant catalyst in their success this season. But it will be just one of many incentives. Even though Bayern won the trophy in 2001, the club's modern teams have largely lived in the shadow of the legendary one that won three consecutive European Cups in the 1970s with the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier and Uli Hoeness. They have been chasing the ghosts of the past for three decades, a time that has been largely unfulfilled as far as European success is concerned. With several Bayern officials and supporters believing this year's team to be its best yet, the chance at European redemption is greater than ever. That's why Saturday is not only Bayern's biggest chance to rectify the disappointments of past years but an opportunity to solidify a place in the history books. Bayern's season this year has been nothing short of remarkable. In the Bundesliga alone they have broken an incredible 30 records on their way to their 23rd league title. Their dominant run from beginning to end, which saw them in first place from the beginning of the season until the end, broke record after record, many of which were previously thought insurmountable. Bayern had the best ever start to a Bundesliga season and won the title earlier than any team in league history. And it did so with the biggest lead, over second-place Dortmund, ever recorded (25 points). Bayern also set a points record (91), another for fewest goals conceded (18) and one for most clean sheets in a single league season (21). Its goal difference alone (plus-80) was greater than 16 other teams" goal totals, and it tied a league mark by scoring in 36 consecutive Bundesliga matches. And that's just scratching the surface. And that record count extends beyond just the Bundesliga. Bayern's impressive 7-0 aggregate win against Barcelona was the biggest semifinal win in the competition's history. Its 4-0 win against the Italian champion Juventus in the quarterfinals over two legs was also biggest aggregate win against an Italian club in European history. And on Saturday, Bayern players will have another, more personal reason to bring the trophy back to Munich: Jupp Heynckes. The 68-year-old Heynckes will leave Bayern and the Bundesliga at the end of the season after over 40 years in the business. Perhaps no other single figure at the club has been more instrumental to the team's success this season than him. His ability to balance the large squad all while getting the best out of each player has truly taken Bayern to another level. His players have rallied around him, and they are determined to honor him with a win. Where Bayern suffered from a reputation for scandals and internal conflict in the past, it has been as harmonious as ever this season. There is a real solidarity among the players, and within the club that has sharpened the team's focus. Before the Barcelona semifinal, Heynckes urged his players to give their all for Bayern's president, Uli Hoeness, who was the target of heavy media scrutiny related to a tax evasion case. That kind of synergy and team spirit has seldom been seen at the club in recent years, and the performances that followed as a result are a testament to it. On top of that, the leak of Mario Götze's impending transfer from Dortmund to Bayern last month has rallied a majority of the country against them and intensified Bayern's role as the big-spending antagonist in the narrative of the final. The scrutiny and fan reaction has only served to bring Bayern closer together, it seems, ahead of what will surely be an emotionally charged final. There too Bayern will have to rewrite recent history. Since 2010, they have only beaten Dortmund once in eight meetings. Last year Bayern suffered one of their biggest defeats in club history against Jürgen Klopp's team - a 5-2 loss in the German Cup final. And while Bayern's performances against Dortmund have improved this year, no other team holds Bayern's number as well as the one it will face this week. All that stands in Bayern's way then is a big black-and-yellow wall, but the momentum and history both appear to be on Bayern's side. Thomas Müller summed it up best in the lead-up to the final, in words that echo both his and the team's urgency and determination: "It's about time I won the thing. If you're beaten three times, you're branded a loser. Cristian Nyari is a New York City-based soccer writer and analyst and the editor in chief of BundesligaFantatic.com.