Der Klassiker: live updates
Cologne - Unsurprisingly, there is one dominant talking point this Matchday 8 in the Bundesliga: Der Klassiker.
bundesliga.com has all the information you need for this latest instalment of FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund's rivalry, so bookmark this page and do not dare to go away!
Sunday 4 October
Matchday 8 fixtures (all kick-offs 15:30 CEST/13:30 GMT unless stated)
Friday 2 October
- SV Darmstadt 98 2-3 1. FSV Mainz 05
Saturday 3 October
- FC Ingolstadt 04 2-0 Eintracht FrankfurtHannover 96 1-0 SV Werder BremenHertha Berlin 3-0 Hamburger SVBorussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 VfL WolfsburgTSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2-2 VfB Stuttgart
Sunday 4 October
- FC Schalke 04 vs 1. FC KölnBayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Augsburg (17:30 CEST/15:30 GMT)FC Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund (17:30 CEST/15:30 GMT)
Guten Morgen and welcome to our coverage of Der Klassiker - one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures on the Bundesliga calendar is here!
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Live on the radio!
The wait is almost over, so we're going to leave it there for now. You can follow Der Klassiker right here on Bundesliga radio. Alternatively, if you don't want to wake the baby or you're stuck at work, check out our live text service for regular match updates. Either way, this is one game you do not want to miss! Viel Spaß and catch you on the other side!
Milestone
Great day on which to reach the 50-mark for Messrs Martinez and Alonso!
Final burst
Impressive sprints from the men in red. Wonder how they compare to BVB speedster Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang...?
Yellow-black cheer
The Dortmund faithful rise as one as news comes in of a second goal for 1. FC Köln against Ruhr neighbours FC Schalke 04. Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, says "we want to be brave. I hope I can use Marco Reus from the bench."
All the fun at the fair
The oompah band is out in force at the Allianz Arena. Makes a nice change to the usual pre-match pop medley.
Bayern in the groove
The Bundesliga leaders already have a real spring in their step...
Safe hands
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer giving it his all in the warm-up as usual...
Sample the atmosphere
News of Bayern's starting line-up is well received, as ever, by the partisan home crowd.
Dortmund limbering up
Little over 30 minutes to go now until kick-off at the Allianz Arena. You can feel the excitement...
Dortmund line-up
Big call from Thomas Tuchel to leave Marco Reus on the bench. Gonzalo Castro starts in his stead...
The teams have arrived
The Der Klassiker star parade has begun!
Bayern's line-up
Here's Pep Guardiola's starting XI for this evening's game...
The stage is set...
...and doesn't the Allianz Arena look resplendent?
Badstuber confident
The Bayern centre-half will miss Der Klassiker through injury, however.
Calm before the storm
It's just over an hour and a half until the big kick off in Munich, and both camps are evry quiet. Line-ups should be announced in around 40 minutes time, but in the meantime why not head to our exclusive Klassiker site for a wealth of content just here.
Final check!
All's in order in the Allianz and the stage is set...
Costa "ready"
Or at least that's what his Instagram feed would have you believe...
Good omens?
Maybe BVB should be bullish ahead of this evening's action...
#FCBBVBworldwide
Don't forget to let us know on Twitter where you'll be watching the action!
Snapchat action
Bayern will be sharing the afternoon on Snapchat for their followers around the globe.
The scene is set
Here's an early look inside the Allianz Arena just a few hours from kick-off in Der Klassiker:
Flashback
Competition winner
Goals guaranteed?
Three hours until kick-off
The teams will very soon be making their way to the Allianz Arena for Der Klassiker. In case you haven't already, read our match preview to get you in the mood.
Rode's message
Sebastian Rode misses out today due to injury, but he has delivered a message for his team-mates on Twitter. "Hopefully Manu will keep the zero [goals conceded] today! I wish the team all the best against BVB!"
Mario in the mood
With now under four hours to kick-off, some nerves may be jangling. Not so, it seems, among this bunch headed by Mario Götze:
Where are you watching from?
Let us know!
Four hours to go
Thiago Alcantara is ready - are you?
Misplaced pessimism?
Watzke may not sound all that optimistic about his side's chances this afternoon, but maybe this tweet can change his mind. It says that Dortmund have lost only once on their past five visits to Munich, winning three and drawing one.
Watzke: "Borussia will be back"
Watzke insists Dortmund will be winning trophies again eventually, but suggests this year is too soon and that Bayern will finish up on top of the pile once again:
"Borussia Dortmund have winning titles in their genes. There's no doubt that Dortmund will win titles again, you can count on that. I was reading everywhere four or five months ago about how Dortmund's time was up, that Gladbach and Wolfsburg are the modern-day Bayern hunters. And now just a few Matchdays on, they're back to plugging us."
"The fact is, we're playing for three points today to help us qualify for the Champions League again. I can tell you already who will be Bundesliga champions on Matchday 34: FC Bayern München"
"No Wiesn desires"
Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has been on Sport1 television this morning, confirming that visiting Munich's beer festival on Saturday night was the last thing on his mind. "Absolutely not," he said. "On the night before a match like this, you have no desire to visit the Oktoberfest. Besides, I'd find it a bit hard putting on a pair of Lederhosen." Will he be tempted by a celebratory visit tonight, perhaps?
Great minds think alike
Both clubs have tweeted reminders - at precisely the same time - about the kick-off time of Der Klassiker in your time zone, so no matter who you support, here's the lowdown on when you have to be ready to tune in:
Five hours to kick-off
The countdown continues...
Electrifying fixture
Not only in recent years has Der Klassiker been a game to stop everybody in their tracks, but rather it is a fixture steeped in tradition. bundesliga.com dug deeper to trace the roots of an electrifying fixture, and you can find out more here.
Battle of the sharp-shooters
Speaking of that battle between Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the latter has laid down the gauntlet to the on-fire Pole with a Tweet wishing him the best of luck:
#FCBBVBworldwide community
No matter where you are in the world, do not forget to send us your Tweets using the hashtag #FCBBVBworldwide, joining the Klassiker worldwide community. Here's a selection of some of those we have already received.
Lewa vs Auba
Another of the intriguing aspects of this Klassiker is the battle of two of the Bundesliga's in-form forwards: Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The former scored ten goals in three games while the latter has netted in all seven of Dortmund's Bundesliga fixtures this season. Both will be expecting to add to those records this evening.
Pep vs Tom
For the first time as coach of Borussia Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel faces Pep Guardiola in a competitive fixture, although the pair are already well acquainted, thanks to a not-so-casual meeting in a Munich bar. Find out more about the night when Pep and Tom shared their footballing philosophies over a salt and pepper pot.
Countdown to kick-off
There are quite a few Tweets out there from the protagonists, waking up on the morning of their big day. Here are a selection to get you in the mood for the action-packed hours to come...
Bayern press conference
Here's a short reminder of Pep Guardiola's press conference on Friday. The Bayern boss admitted that Arjen Robben and Sebastian Rode are doubts for Sunday's Klassiker, and was full of praise for new signings Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa.
Dortmund press conference
Thomas Tuchel spoke on Saturday lunchtime ahead of his side's trip to Munich for Der Klassiker. "If our goal is to get back into the UEFA Champions League, then we have to take it step by step," the tweet below reads.
"We want to be Bayern's challenger every day."
"We could have picked up more points but the title is a long way away. At the moment, Bayern deserve to be top."
"It's fun being a Borussia Dortmund fan at the moment. We want to keep meeting that responsibility to the fans."