Supercup live blog: Friday 12 August
The curtain comes up on the 2016/17 Bundesliga season with a titanic collision at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Sunday when heavyweights Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München go toe-to-toe for the new campaign's first piece of silverware, the Supercup.
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bundesliga.com will have all the build-up and take you through to the final whistle and beyond in Dortmund where the game promises to be another unforgettable Der Klassiker.
Archive: Supercup live blog, Thursday 11 August
All times are CEST
Friday 12 August
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21:00 - Until tomorrow!
That's all from our live blog for today, but be sure to check back tomorrow for all the latest updates on the eve of Sunday's mouthwatering Supercup showpiece.
20:40 - BVB on home ground
Having recently returned from their pre-season tour, Sunday's hosts are ready to face the reigning Bundesliga champions.
19:40 - Lewandowski gearing up
Last season's Bundesliga top scorer is evidently raring to go ....
17:55 - Lahm sets Supercup target
After losing the last three Supercups, Philipp Lahm has set his side a clear aim ahead of Sunday's encounter in Dortmund. Hear more from the Bayern skipper in the video below:
17:39 - Ancelotti: Bayern are ready
We've got a clip from Carlo Ancelotti's press conference earlier. Just click below to watch:
17:01 - Bayern's injury concerns
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed today at his press conference that Renato Sanches, Holger Badstuber, Arjen Robben and Jerome Boateng will all miss the Supercup on Sunday. "Of course we would have preferred not to have had any injuries," said Ancelotti. "We were a bit unfortunate during the summer break at at the EURO. The injured players will be given time to get fit again, though."
Could Ancelotti's first-choice XI look something like this in 2016/17?
16:38 - a Supercup of subplots
Mats Hummels and Mario Götze will turn out for Bayern and Dortmund this weekend - a role reversal from last season.
16:01 - Bayern's media day
Fancy some behind-the-scenes footage from Bayern's recent media day? Then look no further: just click the video below...
15:43 - Thiago in training
The diminutive Spaniard will certainly be in contention to start on Sunday night, particularly with new signing Renato Sanches out injured.
15:28 - transfer news from Dortmund
Moritz Leitner has left Die Schwarzgelben for Italian side SS Lazio.
15:15 - Ribery: "Football of the highest level"
Franck Ribery - who enjoyed an excellent pre-season for Bayern - has been speaking to German broadcaster Sport1 about the Supercup. "I'm always pleased when we play against Dortmund, it's football of the highest level. It's always tough against Dortmund, too. We're not all yet 100 percent fit, but we're going there to play well. We want to win all the trophies we possibly can."
14:50 - Hummels on the Supercup
It will be a special game for Mats Hummels, who will return to the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK for the first time in Bayern colours after spending seven years with Dortmund. Hear what he makes of that below...
13:55 - more from Aneclotti
Bayern's new man in charge, Carlo Ancelotti, gave a lengthy press conference this lunchtime. We've rounded up the best lines here...
- "It's the first competitive game [of the season] and the first chance to win a trophy. For us every competition is important, and for that reason we'll be playing to win.""It'll be a tough game, Dortmund have a very good team with good, quick players.""Mats Hummels has a lot of experience and won't have any problems during the game. I've watched him this week: he's been calm and focussed. He'll play well on Sunday."
13:35 - Bayern "ready"
12:50 - Ancelotti talks to the media
Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti has been speaking to the media this morning. We've rounded up some of his best bits below...
11:58 - wet, wet, wet in Munich
11:30 - Thomas Müller on the Supercup
"Bayern against BVB is a game the whole country watches. There have been some changes in the Dortmund squad, Bayern have a new coach, so everyone will be watching even more closely. It's all about the first trophy... We're excited and want to win the thing. It's nice to start with such a game."
11:20 - Welz to referee Supercup
Tobias Welz will referee Sunday's showpiece, it was confirmed yesterday evening. The Wiesbaden native has been a Bundesliga referee since 2010.
11:14 - an impressive trio, we're sure you'll agree...
10:47 - the quiet warrior
New Borussia Dortmund signing Raphaël Guerreiro has been getting a lot of love in the German press this morning. RuhrNachrichten - a local paper - describe the UEFA EURO 2016 winner with Portugal as '"a quiet warrior", a play on his surname, which means 'warrior' in Portuguese. Leading German sport daily kicker have also been impressed by the full-back - who played in defensive midfield in BVB's 1-1 draw against English side Sunderland recently - writing: "Guerreiro has already won the first trophy of the season: the trophy awarded for modesty and politeness".
10:00 - save the date
Just in case you hadn't got the memo, there's plenty more on the Supercup right here...
09:30 - morning all
And, with the Supercup only two days away, what a bright morning it is indeed. Anyway, Bayern certainly seem to have that Friday Feeling already...