Bayern Munich: Three things to watch for in Der Klassiker

Bayern Munich host Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 24 for another edition of Der Klassiker. Die Roten enter this match in very good form after two high-scoring victories over Lazio and FC Koln last week.

Die Roten’s opponents are also in excellent form having won their last four matches in all competitions. It’s promising to be another exciting fixture between the two rivals. Here are three things to watch for ahead of Saturday’s match.

Muller back in the starting 11?

Thomas Muller returned to action for Bayern in the 5-1 win over Koln last Saturday. The attacking midfielder entered as a second-half substitute and had an instant impact by providing an assist. After missing four matches due to testing positive for Covid-19, Muller appears he is ready to get back into the starting 11.

The 31-year-old has registered one goal and one assist across the two matches Bayern has played against Dortmund this season. He’s played well against Bayern’s rivals in recent appearances and Muller’s continued goal-scoring involvement should be a key to victory for Saturday’s match.

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Bayern look to extend winning streak against Dortmund

The last four Bundesliga matches between Bayern and Dortmund have ended in victories for Die Roten. They can extend the winning steak over Dortmund in the German top flight to five. This would be the first time in the 21st Century that Bayern has won five consecutive Bundesliga fixtures against Dortmund.

Having already defeated Dortmund twice this season Die Roten will be favored to win this fixture but victory will not come easy. The last two Bundesliga meetings between these clubs have been decided by one-goal margins. This could be another closely contested fixture and Bayern cannot afford to drop points as RB Leipzig trails by just two points in the table.

Lewandowski vs. Haaland

The current best striker in the world will be facing the potential future best striker in the world. Both Robert Lewandowski and Erling Braut Haaland have combined for 45 goals in the Bundesliga this season. With these two prolific strikers on the pitch, there should be plenty of goals as there were in the first two meetings of the season.

Will this be the first time Haaland leads Dortmund to a Der Klassiker victory? Or will Lewandowski be the star of the show once more? It will be an interesting positional battle to watch as it could decide the final outcome of the match.