Borussia Dortmund play host to reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for the latest instalment of Der Klassiker at Westfalenstadion on Saturday evening.
The two teams experienced mixed fortunes in the second round of the DFB-Pokal in midweek, with BVB claiming a slender win over Hoffenheim and Bayern suffering a shock exit to third-tier outfit Saarbrucken.
Match preview
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Borussia Dortmund extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to eight matches when they secured a 1-0 home victory over Hoffenheim in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.
Just two days on from their thrilling 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, BVB returned to winning ways and booked their place in the DFB-Pokal last 16 courtesy of a first-half strike from club legend Marco Reus.
Edin Terzic's men now shift their focus back to the Bundesliga where they sit fourth in the table having won six and drawn three of their opening nine matches this season; only twice previously (2002-03 and 2018-19) have Dortmund made an unbeaten start to a campaign in their first nine fixtures.
Dortmund's Bundesliga home form has been nothing short of exceptional as they have put together a 20-game unbeaten run at Westfalenstadion dating back to August 2022, including 17 victories, although one of the three occasions when they dropped points on home soil was against Bayern in a 2-2 draw in October last year.
That draw is notably the only time that Dortmund have avoided defeat against Bayern across the last 10 meetings between the two teams, while BVB's last Bundesliga defeat against any opponent either home or away was a 4-2 loss to the Bavarian giants in April.
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Just three days on from their 8-0 destruction of SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga – a game that saw three first-half red cards and a Harry Kane hat-trick – Bayern Munich suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history when they lost 2-1 away against 3. Liga side Saarbrucken in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.
Although Bayern boasted 75% possession and 18 shots on goal, Thomas Muller's 16th-minute opener was cancelled out by Patrick Sontheimer on the stroke of half time, before Marcel Gaus sent the home fans into pandemonium when he netted a dramatic 96th-minute winner, with the 20-time German Cup champions crashing out in the second round for the third time in the last four seasons.
Bayern's "unacceptable" performance was criticised by sporting director Christoph Freund, while head coach Thomas Tuchel has denied suggestions that his side were "arrogant" or took their third-tier opponents too lightly, instead stating that his players "lacked the punch" required to get over the line.
The Bavarian giants can ill-afford to dwell on their most recent setback as they have less than three full days to prepare for the 134th edition of Der Klassiker versus an in-form Dortmund side – the most-played fixture in German professional football which Bayern have won 66 times in total compared to BVB's 32.
Bayern, who sit second in the Bundesliga table and could find themselves five points adrift of the summit if current leaders Bayer Leverkusen beat Hoffenheim in the earlier kickoff, will be confident of success on Saturday as they have won 11 of their last 13 Bundesliga encounters with Dortmund, scoring at least three goals on 10 occasions.
Team News
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Borussia Dortmund midfielder Emre Can has missed the last two games with a knee injury and is a doubt for Saturday, although he has stepped up his recovery in training this week, while Julien Duranville remains sidelined with a thigh problem.
The potential absence of Can could see Salih Ozcan continue in centre-midfield and the Turk may be joined in the middle of the pitch by either Felix Nmecha or former Bayern man Marcel Sabitzer.
Centre-back Mats Hummels – another ex-Bayern man – is expected to be recalled at the expense of Niklas Sule, while Reus, Julian Brandt and Donyell Malen could all provide support in attack for central striker Niclas Fullkrug.
As for Bayern, Matthijs de Ligt could be out for the next four to six weeks with a partial knee ligament tear, and Tarek Buchmann (hamstring) is also sidelined, while Joshua Kimmich will serve a two-match suspension following his red card against Darmstadt.
Tuchel has revealed that he is still unsure whether Dayot Upamecano (muscle) and Leon Goretzka (hand) will be fit to feature; both players were pictured in training on Friday, with the latter wearing significant strapping around his left hand following an operation last month.
Should both players pass a late fitness test, Upamecano could return at centre-back at the expense of De Ligt, while Goretzka would most likely replace the suspended Kimmich to partner Konrad Laimer in centre-midfield.
Star striker Harry Kane, who has scored 12 goals in his first nine Bundesliga matches, is set to be recalled in attack and could be supported in the final third by Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Can; Malen, Reus, Brandt; Fullkrug
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Mazraoui, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Laimer, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Kane
We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Bayern Munich
At least four goals have been scored in each of the last eight meetings between Dortmund and Bayern, and another entertaining end-to-end contest could be on the cards on Saturday.
Dortmund will look to take advantage of Bayern's midweek wobble, but we believe that the perennial Bundesliga champions will bounce back to claim all three points, especially is Kane continues his fine form in front of goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
