Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Der Klassiker
Bayern Munich will welcome rivals Borussia Dortmund to the Allianz Arena for Saturday’s Klassiker.
Bayern Munich
Having collected 60 points from 26 matches, Bayern are currently sitting in second place and 10 points adrift from leaders Bayer Leverkusen. As a result, the Bavarians know that something miraculous needs to happen if they are to win a 12th consecutive Bundesliga title. While the title race may be out of their hands, Bayern will still be keen to pick up from where they left off before the international period.
Thomas Tuchel’s side claimed three consecutive victories in their final three matches before the two-week break. They thrashed Lazio 3-0 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie to set up a quarter-final clash with Arsenal. Bayern then went on to hammer Mainz 8-1 and cruise to a commanding 5-2 victory over Darmstadt, extending their unbeaten run to five matches.
The Bavarians will have home advantage for Saturday’s fixture, which could be crucial after winning each of their last five competitive home matches. They have also avoided defeat in each of their last 11 head-to-head meetings with Dortmund (W10, D1).
Team News
Tuchel has confirmed that Harry Kane will be available after recovering from an ankle problem. However, the hosts are unable to call upon Manuel Neuer, Raphael Guerreiro and Aleksandar Pavlovic.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund are well out of the title picture, having struggled to find consistency this season. In fact, die Schwarzgelben have a real battle on their hands to secure a top-four spot. Edin Terzic’s side currently occupy fourth position, but they are only one point better off than fifth-placed RB Leipzig.
Like Saturday’s hosts, Dortmund carried significant momentum into the international break, putting together a four-game winning run across all competitions. They claimed consecutive away victories over Union Berlin and Werder Bremen, before beating PSV Eindhoven 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals. In their most recent outing, Dortmund fought back from a goal down to claim a 3-1 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to goals from Karim Adeyemi, Mats Hummels and Emre Can.
While they face a tough test this weekend, Dortmund may be able to take encouragement from the fact they have avoided defeat in each of their last eight Bundesliga away games. However, they have lost all of their last eight away matches against Bayern since winning 3-2 in the DFB-Pokal in April.
Team News
Ramy Bensabaini is out with a knee problem, while Gregor Kobel is a doubt due to illness. Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is set to serve the second game of a two-match suspension.