Borussia Dortmund will host Bayern Munich in the first Der Klassiker of the Bundesliga season on Saturday evening.
Dortmund have made a good start to their league campaign with 15 points from their opening six games.
They are presently second in the standings, behind Bayern Munich by virtue of only goal difference.
Both teams won their midweek Champions League games. Dortmund beat Club Brugge 3-0 on the road on Wednesday.
Bayern, on the other hand, registered a sublime 6-2 triumph over Red Bull Salzburg at the Red Bull Arena.
Form guide:
Both Dortmund and Bayern have won their previous four Bundesliga matches.
Dortmund are currently on a four-match winning streak in all competitions.
Bayern, however, are in a better run of form. They have registered victories in their previous nine matches in all competitions.
Head-to-head record:
They have previously met on 132 occasions. Bayern have had the upper hand with 60 wins to Dortmund’s 32.
Dortmund have not beaten Bayern in the past three meetings in all competitions.
The hosts’ last victory against Bayern came in the DFL-Supercup in 2019 where they won by a 2-0 scoreline.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern have beaten Dortmund in the previous three meetings with 10 goals scored and none conceded.
The visitors won by a slender 1-0 scoreline in the last league meeting which happened after the lockdown.
They met in the 2020 DFL-Supercup earlier this season where Bayern won 3-2 after a late strike from Joshua Kimmich.
Team News:
Borussia Dortmund:
Dan-Axel Zagadou and Marcel Schmelzer are long-term absentees for Dortmund with knee injuries.
Emre Can is still under isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 while Mats Hummels’ availability remains uncertain.
The centre-back was absent for the game at Brugge after picking up a minor thigh problem against Arminia Biefield.
He is, however, optimistic of making a comeback against his former employers on Saturday.
Bayern Munich:
Bayern won’t have the services of Niklas Sule and Joshua Zirkzee after they tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.
As per league rules, they will need to remain in isolation for at least 10 days, regardless of a negative result.
Elsewhere, Canadian sensation Alphonso Davies has yet to recover from an ankle ligament injury.
Leon Goretzka is doubtful with a calf problem. He was training under the club’s fitness coach earlier this week.
Predicted Lineups:
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Roman Burki; Thomas Meunier, Mats Hummels, Manuel Akanji, Raphael Guerreiro; Thomas Delaney, Axel Witsel; Jadon Sancho, Julian Brandt, Marco Reus; Erling Haaland
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Benjamin Pavard, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba, Lucas Hernandez; Joshua Kimmich, Corentin Tolisso; Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane; Robert Lewandowski
Predicted Score:
Dortmund and Bayern have had similar starts to the Bundesliga season with five wins and one defeat, but we are fancying the visitors to win at Signal Iduna Park tomorrow.
Dortmund have some excellent young players such as Haaland and Sancho, who are able to win games on their own, but the same can be said about Bayern, who have the experienced Robert Lewandowski leading the line.
The hosts will pose a challenge for the reigning champions, but they are still doubts whether they can restrict Bayern from scoring, which has not happened in the past 34 games in all competitions.
Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Bayern Munich
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and Worldfootball.net
