Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich: Three key battles to watch

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Sadio Mane will be a crucial player for Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images) /

Sadio Mane vs Thomas Meunier

Just like Bayern, Sadio Mane also started the season on fire before going through a rough patch of form in September. The Senegalese forward ended a goal drought of five games against Bayer Leverkusen. After contributing to the win against Leverkusen, Mane delivered a man-of-the-match performance against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.

Nagelsmann’s persistence with Mane on the left flank in the last two games. The 30-year-old forward has been dynamic with and without the ball in this position. Mane can make aggressive runs to beat the defense along with playing the killer pass to other forwards. He is a creator and a goal-scorer in this role. Despite having a rough patch in September, Mane has contributed with six goals and one assist for Bayern in 11 appearances.

He is expected to start in the same position against Dortmund. The Senegalese forward will come up against Thomas Meunier on this flank. The Belgian defender has been the first-choice right-back this season, starting six of their eight league games. He is not the greatest outlet in the final third but can do a good job defensively on his day.

Mane will provide a stern test to Meunier. With confidence seemingly back for the Bayern forward, the Belgian will have to be at absolute best to stop Mane. The winner of this battle might as well win the game for his side.