France has its “Classic”, Spain its “Classico” and Germany its “Klassiker”.
Unmissable event in the Bundesliga calendar, the confrontation between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will experience its first iteration this Saturday (6.30 p.m.).
And you just have to take a look at the standings to understand what is at stake in a more than symbolic meeting.
Beaten at home during the German Supercup in August (1-3), the players of the BVB, second to a length of the Munich, have the opportunity to make a double blow by taking their revenge and de facto control of the championship .
To discover
Bundesliga fixtures and results
Bundesliga standings
The scene is set: this first Klassiker of the year goes beyond the simple framework of the “topspiel” (shock of the day).
The only pitfall, and not the least, the meeting, a time threatened behind closed doors like a year ago when Bayern won in an already empty Signal Iduna Park (2-3, 7 November 2020), will take place in front of a reduced tonnage of 15,000 people.
The ax fell on Thursday, the resurgence of Covid-19 across the Rhine having overcome the some 75,000 spectators expected.
A first undeniable advantage for Bayern Munich, who will not have to face the inhospitable atmosphere of the Westfallenstadion.
A Bayern cut out for major events
Especially since the Bavarians remain on a disappointing defeat on the move, at the neighbor of Augsburg (2-1). "
This is the first day I have been really angry since my arrival at Bayern
", revealed hot the new coach Julian Nagelsmann. Since then, his Bayern has reacted, albeit timidly, against opponents within his reach with victories in Kiev in C1 (3-1) then against the promoted Bielefeld (1-0). Clearly, FC Bayern follow a pattern that will repeat itself for several years, regardless of coach and players. "
The difficulty is that there is still this roller coaster system like this complicated start to the season in Gladbach
(where Bayern lost on the first day, before being slapped in the Cup, editor's note), notes Patrick Guillou, Bundesliga consultant on
beinSport
.
It then falls back into place.
"After each hitch, the" Rekordmeister "club recovered and strung together the victories.
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Worse for Dortmund, it is during major meetings that Bayern's triumphs have been built for a long time.
“
Being champion is above all a question of consistency, of being present at major events
,” explains the German football specialist.
Bayern have had two in the Bundesliga and one in the Supercopa so far, with three away demonstrations in Leipzig, Leverkusen and Dortmund.
In major events, these players have this ability to transcend themselves.
They hardly ever leave points against the big guys. "
On the eve of the shock, Julian Nagelsmann noted the rise of his troops before the shock: “
It was more intense than before the other matches in training.
It is an important meeting, with its share of expectations.
"
Robert Lewandowski scored twice against Dortmund in early August, in their last encounter.
Panoramic
Lewandowski and Haaland revenge, Sané on his momentum
There are still reasons for hope for BVB, the best team in the championship at home (7 wins in 7 matches). Foremost among which is the return Erling Haaland, who sealed his victory in Wolfsburg last weekend (3-1). 11th in the Ballon d'Or standings, the Norwegian prodigy, who is surely living his last season in the Ruhr area, will have a match in the match the match with Robert Lewandowski, second in the ranking of the best player in the world. If the German press believes that the Pole, ultra-favorite ... in 2020, has been "stolen", the latter will be keen to respond on the ground. The number 9 of the FCB will take a whole team in his wake, while Thomas Müller has already promised to “avenge” him against Barça. This revenge will pass by an appetizer against the sworn enemy of the BVB.
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But the two Munich spearheads will not be alone to put pressure on the opposing defense.
The only scorer against Bielefeld a week ago, Leroy Sané will be an equally serious threat.
For several weeks, the former City, in a situation of failure last year for his first Bavarian season.
has made a spectacular comeback since Nagelsmann arrived on the bench.
“
The coach spoke to him, he did individual sessions with him,
reveals Guillou.
He felt pushed by his coach and his teammates and reached an excellent level for a few weeks
. "
A new proof of the effectiveness of the Nagelsmann method, which started without revolutionizing behind Hansi Flick.
The latter, now at the head of Germany, has always won against Dortmund.
Here again, the former Leipzig coach will want to build on the foundations of his predecessor.