Borussia Dortmund's Waldemar Anton on facing Bayern Munich: 'It's not just Harry Kane'

Borussia Dortmund defensive rock Waldemar Anton has spoken to the Bundesliga about facing Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker, BVB's improvement under Niko Kovač and his FIFA World Cup 2026 ambitions.

Bundesliga: The latest edition of Der Klassiker could have a huge impact on the title race, with eight points currently beween the top two. How will Dortmund prepare for it?

Waldemar Anton: "This fixture is always really special in Germany. We’ll give our all to win it. We don’t need to beat about the bush. We want to win the game, although it won't be decisive. We’ll set up for it like every other game, prepare well, be focused and then hopefully win it."

Bundesliga: Do you feel you are putting Bayern Munich under pressure at the top of the table?

Anton: "We need to make sure we win our games and play as best we can. I think that’s the most important thing. Even if we win every game left and Bayern win theirs as well, we’ll still finish second. Lots of things need to go our way. Bayern are having an excellent season, including in Europe. We’ll look at ourselves, take everything one game at a time, give 100 percent and try to win everything, to make things as difficult as possible for them."

Watch: Something brewing in Dortmund

Bundesliga: You'll be up against Harry Kane this Saturday - is there any secret you have in mind to stop him scoring?

Anton: "I’ll play my usual way. I think Bayern have enough other players with huge quality. It’s not just Kane. It’ll be important that we play well as a team, defend as a team and play our game as a team. We’re just focused on ourselves. We won’t single out players, because Bayern have too much quality for that. It’ll definitely be a game that comes down to who’s the better team."

Bundesliga: Dortmund have made huge defensive improvements over the past year, how did you manage that?

Anton: "That's a good question. I always say that defending starts from the front, and the guys up front are doing a great job. It makes things much easier as a defender if you only have to defend five moves rather than 20, as then you can defend them with 100 percent. It starts from the front and the press, with the midfield also helping us out. That’s a reason why we are so stable right now."

Anton (r.) is a first-choice pick in the back three under Niko Kovač (l.). - DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

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Waldemar

Anton

Borussia Dortmund

Bundesliga: What else has made Dortmund enjoy such a strong season?

Anton: "We’ve worked hard on ourselves. Everyone is active, runs for everyone else, and works for everyone else. We have team spirit. I think those are really important things over the course of a season."

Bundesliga: Kovač seems to have made a difference too, what do you put that down to?

Anton: "Our coach places a lot of value on defending, and you can see that he used to be a defensive midfielder. For me personally, that’s very good. Things always start with defending, because you need that foundation to be able to play further forward. We’ve improved in our running stats too, which is also important. If you can cover the ground for 90 minutes, it makes it difficult for opponents to find little spaces they can get into."

Bundesliga: You're often called a model professional, is that true?

Anton: "Well, I feel very driven. Especially at my age, you have to focus on recovering after games, eating well, listening to your body and doing things you maybe didn’t used to do – those things are really important. You have to put the work in."

Bundesliga: Nico Schlotterbeck has gained lots of attention for his performances this season - do you feel a little unheralded by comparison?

Anton: "Not at all. It’s always about the team and its success. I don’t care if someone is in the spotlight more than others. It’s important that the team benefits from that. Schlotti is one of our captains. It’s normal for him to say things and face the media. Whether someone is playing better or not makes no difference. It’s only about the team’s success."

Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck (l-r.) have been part of a Dortmund defence that has kept 11 clean sheets in 23 matches this season. - IMAGO/Maik Hölter/TEAM2sportphoto

Bundesliga: Do you expect to partner Schlotterbeck again for Germany, looking ahead to the FIFA World Cup this summer?

Anton: "The coach [Julian Nagelsmann] will decide that. I will just try to perform here at Dortmund. That’s the most important thing. When there are international games, we’ll see what the coach does."

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Borussia Dortmund

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