5 reasons why Borussia Dortmund will beat Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker

Niko Kovač has got his Borussia Dortmund charges into a real groove this season, and there are plenty of reasons to argue they can claim a statement win against Bayern in Munich.

1) Niko knows

If the way he inspired Dortmund to a late-season resurgence and Champions League qualification was not impressive enough, coach Niko Kovač has shown signs this season that he is putting together something very special indeed.

Forging his trademark defensive solidity is just one reason he boasts a points per game average that no other coach in the Black and Yellows' history has surpassed (2.1).

Watch: Dortmund in Klassiker form

Kovač has also been able to get the best out of mercurial talents like Karim Adeyemi and Yan Couto. With Serhou Guirassy as much a goal threat as ever, there is a serious case to be made that Dortmund look as complete a team as Bayern right now. Kovač's proven tactical acumen might therefore just tip the tie in his side's favour against his former club.

2) Serious steel

Dortmund have a healthy habit for clean sheets - with four in their opening six Bundesliga matches. Since his return from injury in the 1-0 win over Wolfsburg on Matchday 4, Nico Schlotterbeck has looked imperious in a back three alongside the assured Waldemar Anton and ever-dependable Ramy Bensebaini.

Schlotterbeck (l.) impressively returned to bolster an already solid Dortmund backline on Matchday 4. - IMAGO/Dennis Ewert/RHR-FOTO

The tireless full-back pairing of Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson provide further fuel for the formidable Dortmund rearguard, with Svensson boasting more distance covered than any other player in the league so far (75km). The Bayern goal machine might strike fear into some opponents, but if anyone can stop them, Dortmund can!

3) Klassiker specialists

It's a huge encounter for both teams, but the Klassiker has been a platform Dortmund have gladly seized in the past couple of seasons to show what they are about. In fact, it's almost two years since Bayern last triumphed against their big rivals.  

Watch: Couto and Svensson shining 

The pair shared two draws last season, despite Bayern's charge to the title, while back in March 2024 the Black & Yellows claimed a famous 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena thanks to goals from two players at the centre of the club's current surge - Adeyemi and Julian Ryerson. That experience of delivering in Munich before could provide a vital edge.  

4) Up, up, up and away

Okay, Dortmund are looking very good, but could they really win another Klassiker away? They definitely can, if their run of seven Bundesliga away matches unbeaten going back to last season is anything to go by.

That run includes the 2-2 draw on their last visit to Munich and a thumping 4-2 win in Leverkusen. Dortmund smashed 20 goals in those seven away trips - and kept that swashbuckling pattern going by hitting four goals in Turin in a wild 4-4 draw at Juventus in this season's UEFA Champions League. The prospect of running out at a boisterous Allianz Arena is only going to fire up this ferocious side.

5) Eyes on the title race

While Bayern's flawless start has many thinking they can comfortably retain their Bundesliga crown, Dortmund would be delighted to have their say about that by closing the gap on the leaders to a single point with a win.

Watch: Thrilling 2-2 draw in last Klassiker encounter

Of course, nothing will be decided in October whatever the result, despite both sides' great start to the campaign. Nevertheless, Dortmund have given themselves a chance of at least being involved in a title race for the first time since 2022/23, if they can sustain their form over the coming months.

Nobody in Black and Yellow has forgotten the heartbreaking way that particular title bid ended on the final day of the season - and what better way to announce they are contenders once more than claiming Bayern's scalp on their own patch? 

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