Where Franz Beckenbauer Supercup between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will be won and lost
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund go head to head in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup for the first piece of domestic silverware of the new campaign, but which key battles could decide this Klassiker final?
Battle for midfield supremacy
One of those showdowns will be in midfield, where Niko Kovač appears to have settled on his central pivot ahead of the new season. Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha have started Dortmund’s last three friendlies together, against FC Tokyo (1-0 win), Arsenal (3-2 win) and Roma (2-2 draw).
Bellingham will look to build on the 20 league starts he made in 2025/26 and establish himself as one of the first names on the team sheet this term, with his midfield partner providing the perfect guide to becoming a force in the centre of the pitch.
Nmecha made 25 starts himself, but it would certainly have been more had he not suffered a knee injury in March last season. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old capped a standout campaign by heading to the FIFA World Cup 2026, where he started all four games for Germany before their round-of-32 exit.
Watch: Best of Felix Nmecha
Nmecha’s midfield partner at the World Cup, Aleksandar Pavlović, looks to have cemented his place in holding midfield for Bayern, having started alongside Tom Bischof and Joshua Kimmich respectively in the Bavarians’ two most recent friendlies - against Aston Villa (2-1 win) and RB Leipzig (3-1 win).
Both Pavlović and Bischof will feel they have a point to prove in 2026/27, having made a combined 30 starts in the league last season. Bischof found playing time in midfield hard to come by, with the experienced Konrad Laimer and recently departed Leon Goretzka also capable of providing cover there, meaning the 21-year-old would regularly appear at left-back.
Pavlović, meanwhile, had a stop-start campaign, with illness, niggling injuries and the form of the deputising Goretzka limiting him to 16 Bundesliga starts in 2025/26. Will Bayern’s midfield duo have the edge of their Dortmund counterparts? Whatever happens, we should see an intense midfield battle at Signal Iduna Park.
Case for the defence
With just 34 goals conceded last season - two fewer than champions Bayern - Dortmund took the crown for the league’s most stubborn backline.
Nico Schlotterbeck and Waldemar Anton were central to that effort, with the likes of Ramy Bensebaini, Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson playing a major role in keeping opposition attacks quiet. Youngster Luca Reggiani also impressed when called upon.
Twenty-one-year-old Filippo Mané and 19-year-old summer signing Joane Gadou have also caught the eye in pre-season, with Gadou even getting on the scoresheet in Dortmund’s recent win over Arsenal.
As for Bayern, they have bolstered their defence with the signing of former Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown, who will compete with fit-again Alphonso Davies for a starting spot. That will allow the likes of Laimer and Bischof to focus on strengthening Vincent Kompany’s midfield, with Laimer already being a regular deputy on the right side of defence.
At the heart of Bayern’s backline are Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano, a partnership that hit the ground running in 2025/26 and will surely only improve this season, with a title-winning campaign already under their belts.
Both teams are likely to be tough to break down, but both Bayern and Dortmund have a plethora of mouthwatering attacking options at their disposal - including several teenagers who have appeared hungry to impress in pre-season.
Watch: Brown on settling in at Bayern
Attacking gems aplenty
Both sides have seen promising talents deliver eye-catching performances in recent weeks, some of whom will be hoping to make a first-team impact in 2026/27.
Arguably the most notable of those is Dortmund’s Greek magician Konstantinos Karetsas, whose fantastic solo strike in their win over Arsenal signalled that he is more than ready to light up the Bundesliga this term.
Still only 18 years old, Karetsas made 49 first-team appearances for Belgian side Genk in 2025/26, making him no stranger to the rigours of top-flight football despite his tender age.
Starting alongside Karetsas against Arsenal and Roma was Samuele Inácio, a player BVB fans will already be aware of. The 18-year-old made seven league appearances last season, six of which came during Dortmund’s end-of-season sprint to second-place.
He netted once in that time, scoring Dortmund’s third in a 3-2 win over Frankfurt and proving he has what it takes to make a difference at the top level. Mathis Albert has also regularly appeared in pre-season for Kovač’s side, as the Dortmund boss looks to platform the wealth of talent at the club.
If all else fails, Kovač still has Serhou Guirassy to turn to. The Guinean frontman may not have hit the heights of the 2024/25 campaign last term but still managed a respectable 22 goals in 46 appearances, with his equaliser against Roma suggesting he has lost none of his goalscoring prowess.
For Bayern, Tim Binder has stepped up to the plate in pre-season. The 19-year-old started against both Villa and Leipzig, with Kompany clearly a fan of the young wing wizard.
Leading the line in those two games was 20-year-old Arijon Ibrahimović, who will be eager to establish himself as part of the Belgian’s plans after impressing on loan at Heidenheim last term. Senegal international Bara Sapoko Ndiaye will also be one to keep an eye out for this weekend, having enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence since his Bayern debut last term.
The young midfielder came on as a substitute against Leipzig, as did the ferociously talented Wisdom Mike, who made his Bayern debut shortly after turning 17 and continues to be a part of the first team, with Kompany all too aware of the ability he possesses.
And what of Bayern’s fearsome first-choice trio of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz? Colombian winger Díaz has looked as sharp as ever in pre-season, scoring in the wins over Villa and Leipzig.
However, Saturday’s clash may come too soon for Kane and Olise, who have only recently returned to training following their post-World Cup breaks. Kane recently admitted he may not play the whole 90 minutes at Signal Iduna Park, but the England captain does expect to feature at some stage.
“I’ve already spoken to the coach about it,” Kane said this week. “It’s only a week of pre-season, but I'm used to this quick transition. I’ve played in these tournaments almost every year in my career. Whether it's 90 minutes or 45 depends on how I feel this week.”
Watch this space.
