New excitement or a decisive fall championship? The German Clásico is more fascinating than it has been for a long time. That's also due to the betting between two record-breaking strikers - and speculation about a transfer.
18.10.2025, 14:30
dpa
Before the renaissance of the German Clásico as a summit meeting, Vincent Kompany casually countered Dortmund's "fist" announcement. "We're both unbeaten, so it's two fists against each other," said the FC Bayern Munich coach ahead of the top-of-the-table clash in response to BVB coach Niko Kovac's snappy remark.
Real summit again at last
For the first time in two and a half years, Munich, who have won all ten competitive matches this season, and Dortmund, who are also unbeaten, will face each other again on Saturday (18:30) as leaders and runners-up in the Bundesliga. One series will therefore be broken.
"If you're too timid in Munich, it will be difficult," said Kovac. The former Bayern coach, who won three titles with Munich in 2018 and 2019 but had to leave early, chose a combative rhetoric ahead of the "high-level game": "We have to be like a fist. A fist hurts more than a clip."
Record as motivation? That's what Kompany says
With a win against Bayern, who are four points clear at the top, Borussia could bring new excitement to the league. A Munich victory would practically decide the fall championship. Record international Lothar Matthäus goes one better: for him, an FCB victory would be the decider in the title race. "If Bayern win, they will end up more than eleven points ahead," predicts the 64-year-old.
Bayern could also equal Dortmund's starting record with their eleventh competitive match win. "That's no motivation for me - we just want to win! These top games against Dortmund are almost like our own cup," said Kompany. "We're playing at home and we're really, really up for this game."
"The biggest game in German football"
This can also be felt with Kovac, under whom BVB are once again acting like a real Bayern rival. The coaching duel is an eye-catcher at the Bundesliga spectacle, but it is mainly due to the super striker show of Harry Kane and Serhou Guirassy or the audition of Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck as an alleged Bayern candidate.
"I think this is still the biggest game in German football. I believe that both clubs simply have the greatest appeal," Dortmund's sporting director Lars Ricken told RTL/ntv and "sport.de". "We've been unbeaten in the Bundesliga for seven months. So of course we've got our hopes up."
Schlotterbeck? Eberl: "Upa extension"
Ricken emphasized that there was "no need to rush" with Schlotterbeck, who is tied to the club until June 2027. Munich sporting director Max Eberl played down this personnel issue on the day before the top match and preferred to refer to the intended contract extension with Dayot Upamecano. His contract only runs until the summer. "That's the big issue for us: the Upa extension," said the 52-year-old.
After Munich defeated both Club World Champions Chelsea FC (3:1) and league rivals such as RB Leipzig (6:0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (3:0) in commanding fashion, the next signal is to follow against BVB. Or will Dortmund come up trumps?
National coach Julian Nagelsmann is curious to see what his most important national team blocks will do. Dortmund are currently in good shape and are playing very stable both in the league and in the Champions League, said Nagelsmann. "Bayern Munich are extremely stable. They're doing well and have a lot of confidence."
Kane and the next level
That is especially huge in the case of perennial goalscorer Kane, who has played the main part in the team's 25-3 goalscoring start. England's national team captain is the first player in Bundesliga history to have scored eleven goals after six matchdays. Kane has "unlocked his next level himself", said Kompany. The veteran has always kept his "hunger".
Incidentally, Kane's Dortmund counterpart Serhou Guirassy from the 2023/24 season holds the record of 13 goals after seven matchdays. "The similarities? We just like scoring goals," said the 29-year-old, repeatedly praised by Kovac as "life insurance".
In the last three Bundesliga duels, BVB have remained unbeaten with one win and two draws against the favorites from the south. "We have to win again," demanded in-form Bayern international Serge Gnabry.
