For Premier League fans there are a slew of derbies - from Chelsea vs. Arsenal to Manchester United vs. Manchester City to Liverpool vs. Everton. Europe's other major leagues have also those big games, whether it's Ligue 1's Le Classique between PSG and Marseille, Serie A's Derby della Madonnina between AC Milan and Inter, or arguably the biggest one: El Classico as Barcelona takes on Real Madrid. And of course, Bundesliga fans are well aware of matches between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, with the moniker "Der Klassiker" being assigned to these clashes due to Dortmund's resurgence over the past few seasons.
Sunday's rumble featuring die Roten and die Schwarzgelben will certainly be an exciting one, and not just because of the interesting history between these two sides. As things stands, the visitors and the hosts are presently no. 1 and no. 2 in the table after good starts to the 2015/2016 Bundesliga campaign and both will be gunning for all three points in the first Klassiker meeting of this season.
Bayern Munich
As die Roten seek to make history by winning four straight league titles Pep Guardiola's men could not have commenced proceedings on a better note. Seven wins out of seven have them sitting pretty on top of the table with 21 points and not surprisingly, the not only boast the best attack - with a whopping 23 scored - but also the meanest defense, having just conceded three. Their showing against title aspirants Wolfsburg will be one that will have surely struck fear into their rivals, with Robert Lewandowski showing why he deserves to be called one of the best no. 9's in world football with a quintet of goals in just nine minutes.
Lewandowski in particular has been simply astounding this season. The ex-Dortmund man has scored nearly half of his team's total - with ten goals - and with the form he has been in, including a hat-trick as Bayern cruised to a comfortable 5-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, one probably won't bet against him netting yet again tomorrow evening. Should they win tonight, Guardiola's side will have matched a record set back in the 2012/2013 season - when they made it eight straight wins whilst Jupp Heynckes was in charge. That also happened to be the term in which they became the first German side to clinch a Treble, and in the form they are currently in, they certainly do have the potential to make that happen again come 2016.
In any case, for now, the objective will be to widen their four-point lead over Dortmund prior to the league taking a hiatus for international fixtures. What really has made Bayern's success so impressive is the fact that they have several key players, including Mehdi Benatia and Franck Ribery out due to injury. Dutch winger Arjen Robben has also struggled with fitness issues and is a doubt to feature; however, Arturo Vidal, who missed out on the midweek match versus Dinamo due to a knee complaint will likely reclaim his spot in the starting XI.
Borussia Dortmund
Meanwhile, if Bayern and Lewandowski are on fire, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been doing his part to make sure die Schwarzgelben help their fans forget their turbulent ride last season. The Gabon international has been in absolutely blistering form, with his nine goals - over one-third of his team's total of 21 - seeing him just behind Lewandowski in on the goalscorer's charts.
Like Bayern, they began the season with a string of back-to-back wins, but unlike the reigning Bundesliga champions, they have hit a snag. Thomas Tuchel's men have not been able to win a game since a 3-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen on September 20th and as a result of two straight league draws, have seen their once-established lead turn into a deficit of four points.
And unlike their upcoming opponents, who earned a comfortable win in their midweek European fixture, Dortmund had to settle for a draw against Greek outfit PAOK on the road. As such, although a win in this match won't move them ahead of Bayern, it will certainly reduce the gap to just one point and leave the 2013 Champions League finalists feeling full of confidence before several players depart for their respective international duties.
Tuchel will have to make do without Nuri Sahin and Erik Durm, but fortunately he will be able to rely on star attackers Marco Reus and Aubameyang, and will have another defensive option after Neven Subotic has made a recover from his back problems.
Dortmund have only been able to defeat Bayern once in their past six meetings, which took place at this very same Allianz Arena on April 12, 2014. Interestingly, though, no other team - besides Koln - have defeated the Bavarian giants more times at home, with nine each for these two teams.
Will Bayern make it eight wins in eight? Or will Dortmund earn the spoils in the first Klassiker of the 2015/2016 Bundesliga campaign and make it a tenth win at Bayern's home ground?
You definitely will not want to miss out on what will be an scintillating clash between these two top sides, so make sure you bookmark our special Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund match page for all viewing options and times for your specific location.
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