Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will aim to continue their solid form after the international break when they clash in Der Klassiker at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga season resumes on Friday with the game between FC St. Pauli and Holstein Kiel. The action on Saturday will kick-start with five simultaneous fixtures before ending with Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich, as the two heavyweights renew their rivalry in the first Der Klassiker of the 2024/25 season at Signal Iduna Park.
Borussia Dortmund would have hoped to challenge for the Bundesliga title after the managerial change in the summer. However, Nuri Sahin has yet to galvanise his squad, with the Black and Yellows already ten points behind Bayern Munich. Sahin’s charges have yet to win successive Bundesliga games this season while ending up on the wrong side of a result four times. However, the UEFA Champions League has provided a respite as they are fourth in the standings.
As for Bayern Munich, Vincent Kompany could not have asked for a better start to the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. The Bavarian giants meekly surrendered their title last term but have opened up a six-point gap at the top of the table, dropping points only twice thus far. While they have blown hot and cold in the UEFA Champions League, the results in Europe have also improved.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Bayern Munich cruise to a 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, with Harry Kane scoring a match-winning hat-trick. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Nuri Sahin has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Borussia Dortmund manager might be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Emre Can will serve the second of a two-match ban this weekend, while Karim Adeyemi is recovering from a hamstring issue. Meanwhile, Julian Brandt might be the latest absentee after picking up a muscle injury. However, there is some good news, with Niklas Sule available after recovering from an ankle complaint.
Gregor Kobel is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Borussia Dortmund lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bayern Munich on Saturday. The backline will feature Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Ramy Bensebaini.
As for the midfield unit, Felix Nmecha should pair up with Pascal Gross in the double pivot in Can’s absence. Marcel Sabitzer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Maximilian Beier and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens being the two wide attackers. Finally, Serhou Guirassy will lead the line for Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Gross; Beier, Sabitzer, Gittens; Guirassy
Bayern Munich
Unlike his counterpart in the Borussia Dortmund dugout, Vincent Kompany has greeted only positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Allianz Arena. The Bayern Munich manager will be without at least four first-team players.
Sven Ulreich (personal reasons), Hiroki Ito (broken foot), Josip Stanisic (knee), and Joao Palhinha (groin) remain unavailable. Aleksandar Pavlovic has resumed training after recovering from a knee injury. However, Saturday’s Klassiker has come too soon for the young midfielder.
Manuel Neuer will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The backline should feature Raphael Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, and Alphonso Davies.
As for the midfield unit, Leon Goretzka should pair up with Joshua Kimmich in the double pivot in Pavlovic’s absence. Jamal Musiala will reprise the no. 10 role, with Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman being the two wide attackers. Finally, Harry Kane will spearhead the Bayern Munich attack against Borussia Dortmund.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Guerreiro, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Musiala, Coman; Kane
Key Stats
- Saturday’s clash will be the 111th Klassiker of the Bundesliga era. Bayern Munich have recorded 54 wins to Borussia Dortmund’s 26, scoring 223 goals and conceding 135 (D30). The Bavarian giants have not lost to Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park since November 2018, taking four wins and one draw in that time.
- The last time a Klassiker ended in a goalless draw was in March 2016, with Borussia Dortmund hosting the game. Since then, there have been 67 goals in 16 meetings, averaging 4.19 strikes per match.
- Saturday’s game will see the side with the strongest home record thus far this season (W6) host the club with the best away tally (W5 D1).
- Vincent Kompany has the best record for a new coach in Bundesliga history, winning nine games while drawing two. He also boasts an incredible 36-7 goal difference.
- Harry Kane’s hat trick at home against FC Augsburg helped him become the fastest-ever man to 50 Bundesliga goals.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Harry Kane has not missed a beat since joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur last year. While the Englishman continues to wait for the elusive trophy, he has been scoring goals for fun for nearly 18 months.
Kane’s first away hat-trick in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich came at Signal Iduna Park. Then, the return Klassiker in Munich in March was one of only nine Bundesliga matches in the 2023/24 season in which he failed to score. The Kane we see this time will be of utmost importance to Saturday’s result.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich might have blown hot and cold in the UEFA Champions League, but they have been unstoppable in the Bundesliga. However, the Bavarian giants have also shrugged off the blues in Europe, and that has meant they have shut the gates behind them.
However, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens should continue his fine run by trouble Manuel Neuer. Borussia Dortmund will thus become the first opponents to score against Bayern Munich in eight matches after the Bundesliga leaders recorded their seventh successive clean sheet (and win) in all competitions against PSG. However, that might only be a consolation goal, with Harry Kane running riot to hand Bayern a 3-1 win.
