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Second-placed Borussia Dortmund, welcome league leaders, Bayern Munich to the Signal Iduna Park in a top of the table clash in Bundesliga on Saturday (December 4). The match between the two teams dubbed as the ‘Der Klassiker is the biggest match in the German league and over the years has provided for some thrilling matches.
Both teams have recorded a win in their previous encounter and have collected 12 points from their last five matches.
So, it is clear that the two teams have been in terrific form, a cut above the rest fo the league with third-place Bayer Leverkusen six points adrift of Dortmund.
Bayern Munich who are looking for their tenth consecutive title have recorded 10 wins, one draw and two defeats from their 13 matches but have been far from perfect as is evident by their 2-1 defeat at Augsburg.
Meanwhile, Dortmund have also been on a nice run with their previous loss coming away to Red Bull Leipzig. The team has been struggling in Europe and could possibly face elimination into the Europa League but have not reflected that form in their domestic campaign.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙚’𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧… 🍿
It’s time for #DerKlassiker ⚔️#packmas #BVBFCB pic.twitter.com/SZgickJa7m
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) December 4, 2021
TEAM NEWS
The biggest question ahead of the match remains whether star striker Erling Haaland will be able to start for Dortmund. The 21-year-old who returned from a hip flexor injury after missing seven matches to play for 17 minutes against Wolfsburg may be added in the starting 11 due to the high stake involved.
And it may be a gamble worth taking as Haaland proved that the injury did not have an effect on his football as he scored on his return to help Dortmund win the match.
🎙 Marco Rose:
“Erling knows his situation and has had a good week of training, but we have to be careful. He will certainly not be ready for 90 minutes, so we will need to see how long he can go.” pic.twitter.com/dE9wAugw4x
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) December 3, 2021
The other injury doubts for the team is midfielder Jude Bellingham and Giovanni Reyna, who only last week returned to training.
Haaland’s inclusion means either one of Donyell Malen or Marius Wolf will be dropped and based on form, Malen should be expected to get the nod ahead of Wolf.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND PREDICTED LINEUP: Kobel, Meunier, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro; Can, Witsel, Brandt; Reus, Malen; Haaland
For Bayern, the biggest miss is Joshua Kimmich who will be unavailable because he is quarantine following a Covid-19 infection.
Joining him on the sidelines is Marcel Sabitzer with Leon Goretzka a doubt for the match.
Other absentees are Eric Choupo Moting and Bouna Sarr.
Some numbers ahead of the main event against Dortmund this evening! 👀🔥
ℹ️ More facts on #BVBFCB can be found here: https://t.co/k2afatRlRI#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/TC6LaqsuTb
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) December 4, 2021
Elsewhere, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line supported by the trio of Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane as Bayern will try to play on the front foot at Signal Iduna Park.
BAYERN MUNICH PREDICTED LINEUP: Neuer, Pavard, Upamecano, Hernandez, Davies, Tolisso, Goretzka, Muller, Coman, Sane, Lewandowski
GAME CHANGERS
On paper, it’s the fight between the two frontmen with Lewandowski and Haaland resuming their fight to be crowned as the bests striker in the league. The Bayern man is ahead with 14 goals but Haaland has missed several matches and is still only four goals behind.
The Bayern striker will also be out to prove that he is the best after he was snubbed for the Ballon d’Or awards and a superb performance against one of the biggest rivals will surely catch everyone’s attention.
53 – Robert Lewandowski has scored 53 goals across all comps for FC Bayern in 2021; the most among all players in the big five European leagues. Lewandowski has averaged a goal every 67 minutes in this period, which is 42 minutes fewer than Lionel Messi (109). Fact. #ballondor pic.twitter.com/vRxQIgTD4f
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 29, 2021
On the other hand, Halland will also have the pressure to deliver for Dortmund in front of the home fans. A victory in the match will ensure that Bayern do not start to run away with the league and if they want to break the Banvarins iron group hold over the Bundesliga title then the Norwegian will have to work his magic.
PREDICTIONS
Both teams come into the match in good form but do have their weaknesses that can be exploited. Dortmund do have an edge in their domestic form as their loss came to a side that is ninth in the table while Bayern’s came against one that is fighting for relegation.
However, what the Bavarians and the nine-time champions have on their side is history and a mental edge as they bested Dortmund for years.
But the absence of Kimmich and possibly Goretzka will be a huge blow for Munich and they might have to satisfy themselves with a point this time.
FootTheBall predicts a 2-2 draw between the two sides.
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