This German Clásico is a rarity - not only because Thomas Müller is missing. For the first time in more than a decade, FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund are not in the top 2 of the table in the explosive showdown between the two industry giants.
But the Bundesliga highlight remains the ever-hot duel between Munich and returnee Joshua Kimmich with BVB, who are without Marco Reus.
Goretzka: "Now we're the hunters"
"This is the game that football Germany looks forward to all year," said national player Leon Goretzka, who has a particularly emotional bond as a former Schalke player. "Now we're the hunters. But it's like the derby before. The situation in the table didn't really matter. It's about prestige - and about supremacy in German football."
The winner of the classic on Saturday (6.30 p.m. / Sky) is enthroned at the top of the table for at least one night before Union Berlin and SC Freiburg can pass again. "It's an important game in terms of the table, and it's an important game as a sign," said Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday when he announced Müller's exit due to his remaining symptoms of illness after a corona infection. Nagelsmann played poker when Kimmich, who was also cleared, played. The form in which the midfield chief's involvement makes sense must be examined carefully.
BVB still has to do without Captain Reus, but leader Mats Hummels is back. With number 1 Gregor Kobel there is hope for a game in the game in which the table leader has always played. This time it's different.
On September 12, 2009, when Munich, bottom of the table, won 5-1 at twelfth-placed Dortmund and neither of the two big names in the Champions League finished in the top 2 in the classic, a 19-year-old named Thomas Müller celebrated his first two Bundesliga campaigns. Gates. The new generation of future world stars like Bayern magician Jamal Musiala (19) or Dortmund director Jude Bellingham (19) stood somewhere on the threshold between kindergarten and primary school.
Nagelsmann raves about Musiala and Bellingham
"We can all enjoy that such young top talents are playing in the Bundesliga," Nagelsmann said of Musiala and Bellingham. "I'm assuming that both of them will continue to play the key roles they are currently playing throughout the season and that they are also of great importance for their national teams." The two recently met in a 3-3 draw between Germany and England.
"Jude is playing a very consistent season," said BVB coach Edin Terzic. "It is important that he keeps his emotions under control." The midfielder did not have that in December 2021 after a 2: 3 when he railed against the then referee Felix Zwayer. In Signal Iduna Park, where there is an unprecedented media rush with reporters from all continents and over 20 TV stations, referee Deniz Aytekin is also in the spotlight.
Hamann: "Musiala a player of the century"
All stars want to shine. Sky expert Dietmar Hamann describes Musiala as a "player of the century", record national player Lothar Matthäus predicts both great honors. "If they continue to perform like this, they will at least be nominated for the next Ballon d'Or election," said the Sky expert. The two 19-year-olds are definitely formative figures this season.
But both could not prevent their teams from appearing changeable this season. Neither rival was able to use the weak phase of the other - so success in a direct duel is all the more important. "Now everyone can show what they're made of," said Munich sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. Borussia is also hot. "We're extremely keen on FC Bayern," said national player Julian Brandt.
After the high-scoring victories in the Champions League in Munich's 5-0 win over Viktoria Pilsen and Dortmund's 4-1 win in Seville, both top teams want to play in their first direct duel without Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland, who have moved away. Although Bayern have already scored 23 goals in eight league games this season, it remains to be seen how sustainable the new offensive concept featuring classic debutant Sadio Mané and Leroy Sané, who was outstanding against Pilsen, is yet to be seen. Serge Gnabry should appear again for Müller.
Dortmund's offensive is not up and running
BVB is doing much more difficult than Munich after Lewandowski in the post-Haaland season with only eleven goals. Anthony Modeste was not convincing, storm jewel Youssoufa Moukoko (17) is now even more in the spotlight. Without a goal in the Bundesliga, Karim Adeyemi, who was once courted by Bayern, celebrated his first BVB goal in the Champions League. "There is nothing better when both score," said Terzic.
Leading player Bellingham, top duel in the Bundesliga, demands a similar performance from BVB as in Spain. "If we play like we did in Seville, we have a good chance of winning on Saturday," said the BVB pacesetter. At the age of 19, he led Borussia twice as captain, representing Reus.
Bellingham leads BVB, on the other side Musiala delights with tricks and dribbles. "We have to keep the same performance over several games," Musiala warned as Munich's top scorer and top scorer.
