Why Bayern Munich will beat Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker
Bayern Munich travel to Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 24 in a potentially pivotal clash in deciding the destination of the 2025/26 Bundesliga title. As league leaders in imperious form, the defending champions have plenty of reasons to be confident of success at Signal Iduna Park…
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After regaining the title from Bayer Leverkusen in 2024/25, Bayern have applied their foot even further to the gas this season. They started off with an 18-game unbeaten run, amassing a record 50 points along the way.
A blip – by Bayern standards – followed as they lost their first game of the Bundesliga campaign against Augsburg prior to drawing 2-2 at Hamburg, but three consecutive wins versus Hoffenheim, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt have steered them back on course.
Watch: Bayern Munich 3-2 Eintracht Frankfurt - highlights
As such, they lead Dortmund at the top of the table by eight points, putting themselves in pole position in some style. The Bavarians have already found the back of the net an astonishing 85 times, 36 more than next-best scoring pair Dortmund and Hoffenheim, only failing to score at least twice in the 2-1 defeat to Augsburg on Matchday 19.
For context, the previous highest goals tally after 24 games was 75, set by Bayern in 2021/22, while the record for an entire campaign is the 101 the record champions managed in 1971/72. With 10 games left to play, it is surely a matter of time before that number is surpassed.
Leading the goalscoring charge is Harry Kane, whose 28 league strikes are the most in the division by 15. But the Englishman is supported by Luis Díaz, his closest challenger in the scoring charts, and Michael Olise, both of whom are also into double figures for goals and assists.
Watch: Bayern honour Kane for 500 career goals
A plethora of attacking talents, therefore, will keep BVB busy throughout the 90 minutes, and on this form, it will be a minor miracle if Dortmund prevent them from finding the back of the net at least once.
However, should Bayern’s forward line misfire for whatever reason, they have a sturdy backline as security. Alongside the most prolific offence, Vincent Kompany’s men have also conceded the fewest number of goals in the Bundesliga this term, only being breached on 21 occasions.
Manuel Neuer is unavailable in Dortmund due to injury, but Jonas Urbig is a more than capable deputy, keeping four clean sheets in six outings. In front of him, Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano have proven to be a physically imposing, composed and focused duo, while Josip Stanišić has been as reliable as ever regardless of which flank he has been asked to play on.
It is not the rearguard alone that have set the incredible defensive record, but rather the whole team - illustrated by the fact that Bayern have covered more ground in the Bundesliga this campaign than any other side.
Of course, top-level fitness and energy are required to perform in such a way as a unit. Therefore, it is an additional bonus for Kompany’s charges that they can concentrate solely on Matchday 24 in the week leading up to the Klassiker - unlike Dortmund, who must travel to Italy for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie against Atalanta.
Should Bayern need extra inspiration, they can lean on their recent record against Dortmund. They have lost only one of their past 12 Klassikers in all competitions, while they are unbeaten in seven trips to Borussia. That may also play on Dortmund’s mind as they attempt to close the gap at the summit.
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