After the game is before the game. This much was made clear by the BVB faithful standing on the South Stand on Wednesday evening as they celebrated the Black & Yellows’ 1-0 win over TSG Hoffenheim. “Pull Bayern’s Lederhosen down!” chanted the fans. On Saturday, the team who have picked up the most points in the league in 2023, Borussia Dortmund, will face off against the top goalscorers from the current season, Bayern Munich. 

Borussia Dortmund versus Bayern Munich: a 18:30 CET kick-off on Saturday evening, in front of 81,365 fans in a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, with millions more watching on TV – it doesn’t get any bigger than this.

  • The only Dortmund defeat in the league this year was a 4-2 loss away in Munich in the spring. The Black & Yellows have since gone on a 17-game unbeaten streak. 
  • Both teams are yet to lose this season but nonetheless find themselves trailing league leaders Bayer Leverkusen
  • Borussia Dortmund, with 21 points, are the best fourth-placed team in Bundesliga history after 09 matchdays played. Bayern, for their part, are the best second-placed team of all time at this point in a Bundesliga season, with 23 points.
  • Bayern scored 34 goals in the opening nine matchdays of the season. This is a new Bundesliga record.

“We are looking forward to the game,” said Sebastian Kehl, going on to list a few goof omens for BVB: “We are still unbeaten, we have put together a great run, we are very stable at home, we are in a good shape and condition and we have a deep squad. We want to make the most of every opportunity to beat Bayern Munich in the head-to-head clashes, especially at home. It’s about time we beat them here.” The most recent of BVB’s 25 Bundesliga wins against Bayern dates back to 10 November 2018, with Marco Reus scoring twice in a 3-2 win in Dortmund. “We know,” explained Edin Terzic, “that there hasn’t been a win for a long time. But we also know that we have come close in the past, especially in home games.”

Kehl is also optimistic. “The squad has gained a lot of resilience. That is extremely important in games like this because you need a certain solidity, you need to be prepared for pressure situations, which are inevitable. The team have worked their way through a lot of things in the last few weeks. That will benefit them on Saturday,” said the BVB sporting director.

Midfielder Salih Özcan is expecting a closely-matched encounter. “I’m sure of it,” stressed the in-form number six after the final whistle of the Hoffenheim game, adding: “We are playing more maturely, we are playing more decisively, both defensively and offensively. If we show up, if we play to our strengths, if we remain stable, especially without the ball, then we’ll get the three points.”
Boris Rupert