Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich: Der Klassiker showdown awaits
Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to finally get the better of arch rivals Bayern Munich when they welcome the Bundesliga champs to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening.
Carlo Ancelotti has lost four out of his last nine games against die Schwarzgelben. But since becoming manager of Bayern Munich earlier this year, the Italian tactician so far has managed to come out on top in their first meeting. That was during the DFL Supercup during which die Roten clinched the first trophy of the season. However, Bayern, who now temporarily are in second after RB Leipzig claimed yet another scalp, will be facing a team determined to keep an impressive long-standing run intact.
Dortmund are currently on a 26 match unbeaten streak at home, with 21 wins and five draws. The last team to beat die Schwarzgelben at Signal Iduna Park? Here is a hint: they were the first German side to win four Bundesliga titles in a row. Back in April 2015, Bayern beat them 1-0, but a year later, were held to a scoreless draw. Borussia Dortmund, however, are the only side that have kept die Roten from scoring in their past 19 Bundesliga games.
There are of course also some interesting back-stories here. Mats Hummels faces his former side for the first time in Bundesliga play since moving this summer. Mario Gotze also takes on his former colleagues as well. Meanwhile, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang didn’t enjoy international break much with Gabon, but netted a poker during Dortmund’s 5-2 crushing of Hamburg. It goes without saying that Thomas Tuchel will hope his star man will pick up right where he left off. Meanwhile, Thomas Muller’s goal drought is now approaching 700 minutes, but his first ever top flight goals were against Dortmund back in 2009. Will Saturday mark the end of his frustration in front of goal?
The visitors will be missing Arjen Robben and Javi Martinez for this game, as well as Kingsley Coman. Unfortunately, Marco Reus’s injuries still continue to plague him, meaning that he will not be able to feature here, either. With Leipzig still unbeaten, Bayern will want to keep pace with the surprise packages. Die Roten are still the only other unbeaten side in the Bundesliga this season, but Dortmund arguably will pose a very stern test. Will Saturday be the day that they finally get the better of their bitter rivals?
