South German showdown:Resolute Reds down stubborn Stuttgart

Bayern came a step closer to an unprecedented fourth Bundesliga title in a row with Saturday’s hard-earned but deserved 3-1 Bundesliga victory away to VfB Stuttgart, the 15th time in a row the Reds have beaten their southern rivals in competitive fixtures and a welcome boost for Pep Guardiola and his men ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Champions League quarter-final return away to Benfica.

The 60,000 full house at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena saw the home side frustrate the leaders for the first half-hour, but a moment of Franck Ribery magic led to former FCB man Georg Niedermeier putting through his own goal after 31 minutes. David Alaba opened his Bundesliga scoring account seven minutes after the restart to double FCB’s lead, and although Daniel Didavi pulled one back on 63 minutes the champions held out comfortably enough and sub Douglas Costa cracked an 88th-minute third to make absolutely sure of the three points.

A 24th win in 29 league games means FCB move onto 75 points, once again eight clear of second-placed Dortmund ahead of the black-and-yellows’ Ruhr derby meeting with Schalke on Sunday. Following the do-or-die clash in Lisbon, the Bavarians return to domestic league action next Saturday evening at home to Europe-chasing Schalke.