Leaders Bayern out to snap Dortmund’s winning streak at home

Berlin — Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will look to end Borussia Dortmund’s winning run at home this season when they travel to the Ruhr valley for their “Klassiker” on Saturday.

The undefeated Bavarians could hardly have hoped for a better time for the big Bundesliga clash, having already carved out a six-point lead at the top with the league’s best attack and defence.

They have not conceded a goal in their past five league matches and have netted 36 times in their 11 Bundesliga matches so far. Top scorer Harry Kane already has 14 league goals this season.

The England captain scored a hat-trick against Augsburg last week and needed just 43 matches to reach 50 Bundesliga goals, the fastest in the league’s history.

Bayern’s 1-0 victory over Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, which improved their chances of advancing in the competition after a rocky start, was a confidence boost for Vincent Kompany’s team before the trip to Dortmund.

Bayern, who have won five of their six away games in the Bundesliga this season, also have recent history on their side. Their last defeat in Dortmund was six years ago.

Dortmund have had a rollercoaster domestic campaign while enjoying a stellar run in the Champions League. Their 5-1 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday kept them firmly on course for automatic qualification to the knockout stage.

Hampered by injuries, they have dropped to fifth in the Bundesliga on 19 points, 10 behind Bayern, after failing to win any of their away matches in the league this season.

They have, however, won all six Bundesliga home matches and their injury list has been getting shorter. Defender Niklas Suele is the latest player to be back fit, hoping to face his former club.

But coach Nuri Sahin could be without midfielder Julian Brandt, who picked up a knock in Zagreb.

“It will be tight for the match on the weekend,” Sahin said. “He is very important for our game, almost irreplaceable for us.”

Second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt have 23 points, six less than Bayern, and want to stretch their three-game winning run when they travel to Heidenheim on Sunday.

RB Leipzig, on 21 in third and without a win in their past five matches across all competitions, host VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Champions Bayer Leverkusen, fourth on 20, travel to Union Berlin.

Reuters