Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich
Der Klassiker is finally here, as Borussia Dortmund are set to host Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday night.
These two Bundesliga title contenders are not far off from each other in the standings, with the visitors sitting in second with 23 points, while the hosts are in fourth place with 21 points.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are two of the three remaining teams that have yet to taste a league loss this season, but only one can come out unscathed this weekend.
As the title of this article suggests, big points are up for grabs in this game, especially with Bayer Leverkusen leading the pack, so SBOTOP football fans should expect nothing less in the newest chapter of this storied rivalry.
Talking Points
Borussia Dortmund have built a fortress
Despite their devastating collapse last season, Borussia Dortmund still believe that they can dethrone Bayern Munich soon, and a huge reason for that is because they’ve been virtually unstoppable at home.
BVB are on a 20-match undefeated home streak in the Bundesliga, and their last home loss was a 3-2 result against Werder Bremen during matchday 2 of last season.
In the said period, 17 of those games have ended in maximum points, with the remaining three all 2-2 draws, including the most recent Der Klassiker at Signal Iduna Park.
Other than their impressive home form, BVB are better equipped than last season, with the additions of Niclas Fullkrug, Marcel Sabitzer, Felix Nmecha, and Ramy Bensebaini.
Fullkrug, who was a co-winner alongside Christopher Nkunku for the Golden Boot last term, has been as good as advertised for the Yellow Wall with two goals and two assists thus far, and for sure he’ll be excited for his first Der Klassiker contest.
Meanwhile, Felix Nmecha and Marcel Sabitzer have combined for two goals and two assists.
But the real protagonist on Edin Terzic’s side has been Julian Brandt, who is a man on a mission. The 27-year-old has scored or assisted in his last eight straight Bundesliga appearances, and this season he has notched four goals and four assists.
Bayern Munich can bounce back after huge setback
Bayern Munich are now out of the DFB-Pokal after being beaten 2-1 by third-division side Saarbrucken last night.
The Bavarian giants took a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Thomas Muller’s goal in the 16th minute, but Saarbrucken shocked the world with goals from Patrick Sontheimer and Marcel Gaus.
And what made it worse for Thomas Tuchel’s team is that they also lost Matthijs de Ligt in the process, as the former Ajax man left early in the match due to a knee injury.
This means that Bayern Munich only has one fully fit centre-back in Kim Min-Jae, and they’re also handicapped in midfield, with Leon Goretzka (hand) and Joshua Kimmich (suspension) unavailable to play on Saturday.
However, it would be foolish to count Bayern Munich out with their goal-hungry forwards. The connection between Harry Kane and Leroy Sane is real and clicking, while Mathys Tel remains a goalscoring threat off the bench.
History
Borussia Dortmund had a great opportunity to dethrone Bayern Munich once and for all last season, when the Bundesliga title was in their hands.
With a two-point lead over the defending champions, all BVB had to do was win at home at Mainz. But Edin Terzic’s men were held to a 2-2 draw, and because Bayern Munich took care of business against Koln, the Bavarian giants won their 11th consecutive Bundesliga crown.
BVB rallied back to hold Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw at this exact home fixture last season, as Youssoufa Moukoko and Anthony Modeste scored two late goals, much to the dismay of Bayern’s then-CEO, Oliver Kahn.
In the reverse fixture a few months later, Bayern Munich got their revenge, notching a 4-2 win in Thomas Tuchel’s head coaching debut.
Betting Tip
We believe that the first Der Klassiker of the 2023-24 campaign is going to be a close one, even if the Bundesliga 2023 odds suggest otherwise.
Bayern Munich were given the edge at 1.76, while a home win for Borussia Dortmund is priced at 3.60 and a draw is at 3.90 odds in the 1X2 market.
We’re not really sure who gets the win here, but we’re confident that we will get to see a lot of entries in the Bundesliga 2023 highlights from the Yellow Wall and the Bavarian giants this weekend, hence our recommended bet above, while Over 3.75 at 2.19 is another plausible bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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