Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern München
Here's a look at the team news and probable line-ups ahead of Tuesday's top-of-the-table clash between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern München.
Football fans from all over the globe will be watching, when familiar foes Borussia Dortmund and Bayern München lock horns in 'Der Klassiker' at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday at 18.30 CET.
Dortmund will be determined to revenge the 4-0 loss suffered at Allianz Arena in November, not just because they want to get the bragging rights over their long-term rivals, but in order to take an important step forward in the title race.
With seven games left to play this season, reigning champions Bayern München sit four points clear of Dortmund at the top of the table, so the hosts will be desperately in need of a win as they look to close the gap.
"If we want to compete for the title, we should win the match. There will only be six matches left to play afterwards. In that sense it's simple – but very difficult to put it into practice because Bayern have a great team," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said at the pre-match press conference.
"We need to ride out the spells in which Bayern are dominant. We'll need to defend very well together as a team and be aware of our own qualities going forward. We can always score goals against them. And we can beat them," he said.
Having beaten Schalke 04 (4-0) and Wolfsburg (2-0) since the Bundesliga returned, Dortmund will be heading into the game with confidence, and Zorc is hopeful the team can build on their momentum.
"We must believe in ourselves. And not make any cheap mistakes in possession. It will come down to the qualities that we have displayed well on the pitch in our last two matches. The team was really on their game."
Bayern München coach Hansi Flick said he is wary of Dortmund's qualities, describing them as one of Europe's best teams.
"BVB have gained a lot of stability in defence with the switch to 3-4-3. Everyone at Dortmund is good off the ball. They then gain the possession which they need to involve their quick attacking players," said Flick, who didn't want to give too much away about his game plan.
"We need to prevent that and close the spaces – I don't want to reveal any more than that. I can imagine that they'll be defensive to start with, but if they do something different then we'll certainly react well. In January they brought in two reinforcements, two players who bring huge character: Emre Can in defence and Erling Haaland in attack. They're among the best teams in Europe. We have to be at our best and be prepared," added Flick, whose team have won their last eight games in all competitions.
Dortmund fans were holding their breath, when Mats Hummels was forced off with an injury in Saturday's win over Wolfsburg, but BVB coach Lucien Favre has said the centre-back is '99 percent' to feature on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Axel Witsel could come back into the squad after a spell on the sidelines while Jadon Sancho and Emre Can will be pushing to start after both coming on against Wolfsburg last week.
"Emre Can has 45 minutes in his legs, so that's good. After suffering a setback, Jadon Sancho has been in team training for 10 days. He's slowly getting back to his top form. We'll see," Favre said.
BVB captain Marco Reus, on the other hand, remains sidelined, as do Dan-Axel Zagadou and Nico Schulz.
Bayern München coach Hansi Flick will be without Thiago Alcantara, who is sidelined with an adductor problem, but Jerome Boateng and Serge Gnabry should be fit to start after overcoming minor knocks.
In addition to Thiago, Bayern's injury list includes Philippe Coutinho, Niklas Süle and Corentin Tolisso.
Predicted line-ups:
Borussia Dortmund: Bürki - Piszczek, Hummels, Akanji - Hakimi, Can, Delaney, Guerreiro - Hazard, Brandt - Haaland.
Bayern München: Neuer - Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies - Kimmich, Goretzka - Gnabry, Müller, Coman - Lewandowski.