Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund evenly matched heading into Klassiker statement
Bayern Munich host Borussia Dortmund in the first Klassiker of the Bundesliga season on Saturday, with both teams level on points at the top of the table. But where do they stand ahead of a potentially defining fixture? Here’s the lowdown…
Before last term’s first Klassiker on Matchday 7, Bayern had already opened a four-point gap over BVB, and their 2-1 win put them seven points ahead. Dortmund improved as the season went on, but by the time the teams had played their final fixture, Bayern were 16 points clear of their closest challengers.
This term, though, only goal difference separates them after seven matchdays, and much of that is down to Dortmund’s solidity. No side has conceded fewer than their four league goals so far this term.
Under Niko Kovač, the key elements of Dortmund’s backline have emerged. Gregor Kobel, between the sticks, is now one of the team’s elder statesmen and leads by example in character and performance.
He has already kept a league-high five clean sheets, following on from 2025/26’s table-topping 15, and has an extraordinary save rate of 82 percent. And against Bayern, he has something to prove, having failed to win any of his 10 Bundesliga fixtures against the Bavarians.
In front of him, Nico Schlotterbeck has established himself as one of Europe’s most reliable defenders, even after a serious injury derailed his FIFA World Cup campaign with Germany. He, too, is now an important voice in the dressing room, taking on the captain’s armband in Emre Can’s absence, and has embodied Kovač’s style on the pitch.
He missed the first two games of the season as he finished his recovery, but has since won a team-high 67 percent of his duels, forming a strong connection with Waldemar Anton at the heart of the defence.
Alongside him on the right is Julian Ryerson. After last season’s incredible haul of 15 Bundesliga assists, second only to Bayern’s Michael Olise, he hasn't been quite as creative and is still waiting to set up his first goal, but he has still delivered a league-high 34 crosses.
From his and Dortmund’s perspective, the issue is the lack of options to get on the end of those deliveries into dangerous areas. Serhou Guirassy remains BVB’s talisman, yet while he has scored four in three UEFA Champions League games, he has found the back of the net just twice in the league.
Nevertheless, he remains joint-top scorer alongside Maximilian Beier and Felix Nmecha. Overall, BVB have netted on only 12 occasions, which currently ranks them ninth in the division. That, therefore, does not necessarily bode well against the league's joint-second-best defence, with only six conceded, and puts extra pressure on the Dortmund backline to perform.
Kovač and Co will also know how difficult stopping Bayern will be. A star-studded frontline is led by newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, and the fact that the England captain has scored ‘only’ four goals this term to sit sixth in the goalscoring rankings underlines the high standards he has set.
Instead, Olise leads the way for Bayern, who have scored 25 times in the Bundesliga as a team, including a record 18 at home at this point of a campaign. The Frenchman has six goals and three assists in 2026/27, plus two and one in the Champions League, and now has a maiden top-10 Ballon d’Or finish under his belt.
Serge Gnabry, meanwhile, has stepped up when needed in recent weeks, scoring his 100th goal for Bayern in last week’s victory over Freiburg. He is a prime example of Bayern’s strength in depth, which they require to compete on three fronts.
This term, though, that depth has been tested to its limits. Heading into this encounter, questions remain about the availability of Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Manuel Neuer, while Luis Díaz will definitely not be available. Jamal Musiala is also fighting to be involved at the Allianz Arena, and that will likely come soon.
On top of that, head coach Vincent Kompany will not be on the sidelines as he continues his recovery from recent health issues, leaving assistant coach Aaron Danks with big decisions to make.
As such, Bayern will need players like Dayot Upamecano more than ever. His availability in itself has been one of his main strengths this season as the sole Bayern player to start all seven league games this campaign.
Across the pitch, he has been a colossus, underlined by the fact he has scored twice already and won 63 percent of his duels. His display against Freiburg last weekend prompted board member for sport Max Eberl to describe the French centre-back as "world class this season". It is telling that when he is on the pitch, Bayern do not lose in the Bundesliga; he is unbeaten in the last 51 league games he has played, just five off the all-time record.
All in all, both teams have strengths and weaknesses that leave Matchday 8’s match-up in the balance. We will find out on Saturday evening who has the edge to make an early statement in this Meisterschale race.
