Saturday’s Bundesliga action concludes with Der Klassiker at the Allianz Arena, with leaders Bayern Munich hosting second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
The hosts will clinch a 10th successive league title with a win, in what looks set to be a thrilling encounter for Germany’s standout fixture.
A comfortable 3-0 victory at relegation-threatened Arminia Bielefeld last weekend has put Bayern on the brink of yet another Bundesliga title on Saturday.
An own goal from Jacob Laursen just 10 minutes in set the Bavarians well on their way, before further goals from Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala at the end of each half saw them cruise to a routine victory against the minnows.
Those three points took Julian Nagelsmann’s side nine points clear at the top of the table, and has presented them with the ideal opportunity to confirm the retention of their Bundesliga crown against their competitive rivals.
Bayern may not have been anywhere near their best over recent weeks – with the two legs of their shock Champions League exit to Villarreal coming either side of their stumbling over the line at home to struggling Augsburg – but one thing that is an almost guarantee with this club is their ability to turn up on the day against Dortmund.
Three years have passed since Bayern were defeated by BVB, and five years since they were downed on home soil against their title challengers, with some comprehensive victories being recorded at the Allianz Arena along the way.
Complacency is unlikely to be an issue for the hosts on Saturday though, and with only the league left to play for in the remaining few weeks of the campaign, Nagelsmann will certainly be looking for his players to seal their inevitable title win in style.
Meanwhile, Dortmund will be looking to stop the rot against the Bavarians when they make the trip on Saturday, with a seven-game losing streak in recent years sure to be on their minds.
Recent visits to the Allianz Arena have included 5-0 and 6-0 defeats, whilst Dortmund have conceded at least three goals to the league leaders in each of their last five meetings in all competitions.
Those defensive frailties, and a relative inconsistency, are what have hindered BVB’s hopes of preventing Bayern’s 10th consecutive title this season, as numerous unexpected slip ups from their rivals have gone unpunished throughout the campaign.
However, those kind of concerns were not anywhere in sight last time out, with a brace from Erling Braut Haaland helping Marco Rose’s side on their way to a thumping 6-1 win over Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park last weekend.
Seventeen-year-old debutant Tom Rothe got the ball rolling midway through the first half, and within 15 minutes, Dortmund found themselves 5-0 up in a devastating display in the opening 45.
Axel Witsel, Manuel Akanji and Emre Can also got themselves on the scoresheet, but whilst finding the back of the net was not an issue last Saturday, and has also not been the problem in recent meetings with Bayern, their shaky back line is likely to be the biggest of their concerns this weekend.
If Dortmund can sure up their defence and plug the holes, then they could stand a chance of frustrating their hosts like numerous sides have in recent weeks, and should they manage to achieve an unlikely victory, then their glimmer of hope in the title race could be extended for another week.
Bayern Munich Bundesliga form:
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Bayern Munich form (all competitions):
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Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:
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We say: Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund
As has been the case in recent years, this looks set to be a hugely entertaining game on Saturday, with both sides tending to ignore defensive concerns to focus on an attacking mindset in past meetings.
We believe that trend will continue here, with Bayern having too much for their visitors, who are missing a number of players and look incapable of being able to contain the threat of their hosts.