Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Tuesday, 26-05-2020 @7:30pm
Der Klassiker will once again be the center of attraction when the German Bundesliga returns on Tuesday evening.
The two biggest side in German football will collide at the Signal Iduna Park as second-placed Dortmund hosts 7-time defending champions Bayern Munich.
With no fans inside the stadium, both the teams will have to deal with a weird set of circumstances.
It is a must-win game for Borussia Dortmund if they are to continue their title challenge.
The Black and Yellows are trailing Bayern by just four points, meaning a win on Tuesday could bridge the gap to a mere one point.
On the flip side, a defeat should allow RB Leipzig to overtake them in second position whilst giving the Bavarians a nearly unassailable lead as we head towards the final phase of the campaign.
The game , in the Bundesliga has already drawn a lot of criticism for its eerie atmosphere. But, make no mistake – fans across the footballing world will be keeping an eye out on this fixture.
Dortmund are sweating on the fitness of former Bayern defender Mats Hummels, who had to be replaced against Wolfsburg on Saturday with an Achilles problem. Hummels is being tipped to recover in time for Tuesday’s clash, but Marco Reus, Nico Schulz and Dan-Axel Zagadou will again miss out for the home side through injury, while Axel Witsel remains a doubt. Jadon Sancho has appeared off the bench in Dortmund’s last two matches, and it seems likely that the England international will return to the starting XI for this match. Emre Can could also start, having made his return from injury off the bench last time out, while Sancho’s possible inclusion could see Julian Brandt drop into a deeper role.
As for Bayern, Phillipe Coutinho and Corentin Tolisso are still on the sidelines with ankle problems, while Niklas Sule and Thiago are again expected to miss out for the champions. There might be just the one change from the side that started against Frankfurt, with Serge Gnabry pushing to replace Ivan Perisic on the left of an attack which should also include the in-form Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Lewandowski. Muller has 17 Bundesliga assists to his name this season, while Coman impressed against Frankfurt and is expected to keep his spot in a wide position.
Bayer have scored nine goals without conceding across the previous two Bundesliga meetings with Borussia Dortmund (4-0 and 5-0), but Dortmund ran out victors the last time they met at the Signal Iduna Park in the league, winning 3-2 on Matchday 11 last season. In fact, Dortmund have lost just one of the last four (W2 D1 L1) Klassiker matches on home soil. Dortmund also clinched the Supercup at their famous ground back in August, meaning coach Lucien Favre has a 100 per cent record at home against Bayern with two wins from two. Erling Haaland’s return of 10 goals in as many games means the Black-Yellows are the only Bundesliga team this term with three players in double figures for goals: Haaland (10), Marco Reus (11) and Jadon Sancho (14). Robert Lewandowski is the league’s top scorer this term with 27 goals, scored at a rate of one every 82 minutes. Haaland, who joined in January, has bagged his 10 at a rate of one every 69. The Poland captain is also this Bundesliga fixture’s record scorer (17 goals) across spells at both clubs (16 for Bayern, one for Dortmund) and Lewandowski has notched 12 goals in his last six Klassiker outings – scoring on every occasion. He has also scored at least twice in each of the last four league games against Dortmund, a run that dates back to his hat-trick in the 6-0 demolition of his former employers on March 31, 2018.
The other German Bundesliga match-day 28 fixtures
Tuesday, 26-05-2020 @9:30pm
-Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg
-Frankfurt vs Freigburg
-Bremen vs Monchengladbach
Wednesday, 27-05-2020
-Leipzig vs Hertha Berlin @7:30pm
-Augsburg vs Paderbon @9:30pm
-Dusseldorf vs Schalke 04 @9:30pm
-Hoffenheim vs Koln @9:30pm
-Union Berlin vs Mainz @9:30pm
