"Der Klassiker" preview: FC Bayern vs. Borussia Dortmund

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·17 October 2025

"Der Klassiker" preview: FC Bayern vs. Borussia Dortmund

The stage is set for another electrifying chapter of Der Klassiker, as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund renew their fierce rivalry at the Allianz Arena in the highlighted top-match of matchday 7 in the Bundesliga.

More than just a clash of Germany’s footballing giants, this meeting carries weight for both pride and positioning, with early-season momentum and bragging rights on the line. Fans around the world are bracing for ninety minutes of intensity, drama, and the kind of spectacle that has long defined this iconic Bundesliga showdown.

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As it was tradition in the 2010-2020 years, a huge transfer rumour has preceded the upcoming classic: Dortmund fans will surely remember the rumours of Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and even Shinji Kagawa, Marco Reus and Erling Haaland potentially joining their rivals in Munich - and these rumours always started a few weeks or sometimes just days before “der Klassiker”.

This time the headlines were all about Dortmund's star centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck. He himself did not deny (nor confirm) the rumours about him thinking about a move to Bayern in the coming summer while he was out with the German national team. This topic could very well remain an interesting one even after Saturday.

History and present are in favour of the Bavarian giants in this match-up: both teams have played each other 137 times and Bayern have come out as the winners on 69 occasions, while Dortmund “only” won 35 times.

Looking at the current season, Vincent Kompany's team are yet to lose a game - in any competition. Dortmund have only lost one game in the Champions League and are also undefeated in the Bundesliga, but two draws have put them behind the reigning champions.

However, if you look at the last three match-ups between the two teams, BVB have actually the better statistics on their side: two draws (2-2, 1-1) and one victory for die Schwarz-Gelben (2-0), meaning that there most definitely is hope there for all Dortmund fans! Even though this Bayern team at the moment looks nearly unbeatable.

Harry Kane seems unstoppable (6 games, 11 goals, 3 assists), Luis Díaz has had a brilliant start ot his Bundesliga career (6 games, 5 goals, 4 assists) and Michael Olise is as brilliant as ever (6 games, 3 goals, 2 assists) - not to mention the other top performing Bayern players: Gnabry, Kimmich, Laimer, Neuer, Tah, Upamecano and even a previously struggling Sacha Boey.

You just can't compete with numbers like these. Dortmund are the clear underdogs in a classic, which used to be more balanced - but as history has shown, Dortmund tend to thrive in this position and they are in a good position to once again become Bayern's biggest nightmare.

One thing Dortmund will be pleased about is that Bayern's top form has been stopped by their players having to go on international duty - maybe that can have an effect on Kompany's side? Let's have a look at all the available players after the most recent international break.

International break is over - which players are available?

Vincent Kompany has already ruled out Josip Stanišić for this Saturday, ex-BVB player Raphaël Guerreiro is also at doubt. Jamal Musiala, Hiroki Ito and Alphonso Davies are still recovering from their respective injuries.

On Dortmund's side, there were huge concerns over their top striker Serhou Guirassy, since he picked up a minor injury while playing for Guinea. However, Niko Kovač has confirmed that he will be available for “der Klassiker”. Nico Schlotterbeck also had to take a break after only coming back from a big injury before the international break, but he is good to go to play against Bayern.

The only players missing the game from Dortmund's side are Aarón Anselmino, Emre Can and Julien Duranville.