On Saturday, Bayern Munich will face off against Borussia Dortmund in what will be this weekend's biggest fixture in the Bundesliga. The visitors will be coming into this crunch clash having suffered a surprise 2-1 loss to Mainz, whilst Dortmund picked up a 2-0 win over Darmstadt, meaning that the gap between the two teams has been reduced to just five.
A win, of course, for die Roten, would re-open their lead to eight and set them up nicely to make it a historic fourth straight Bundesliga title. But should die Schwargelben finally win their first Klassiker meeting since edging out their opponents via spot kicks on April 28, 2015 (during the DFB-Pokal semi-finals), Bayern's advantage will be cut to a very narrow two points. And as has been seen in other leagues this season, a two point lead is not enough to maintain the no. 1 spot, especially with many more rounds left to play.
So, ahead of this must-win game for Pep Guardiola's side, we take a look at one of the players who will be expected to play an impact this weekend at Signal Iduna Park: Manuel Neuer.
1. An experienced participant in Klassiker matches
Since arriving at the Allianz Arena in July 2011, the 2014 Ballon d'Or nominee has featured in a total of 16 matches across all competitions against Borussia Dortmund, with Saturday being the 17th meeting. To date, the only time he has not featured was on July 27, 2013, when Bayern lost 4-2 in the DFL Supercup and on April 12, 2014 he was subbed out after the first half during a 3-0 loss at the Allianz Arena.
So far, Neuer's record in his 16 appearances against Dortmund reads as eight wins, six losses, and two draws. Will he make it a ninth win in 17 appearances on Saturday?
2. Dortmund = Neuer's kyptonite? Clean sheeets are hard to come by...
So far this season, Neuer has featured in all 24 of Bayern's Bundesliga games, whilst keeping 14 clean sheets. However, in his 16 matches against Borussia Dortmund, the 2014 World Cup winner has conceded and has kept clean sheets on only four occasions. Earlier this season, he was unable to prevent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from scoring, despite die Roten clinching all three points in a resounding 5-1 win.
Having conceded twice against Mainz, Neuer will have to do better - and hope that the men in front of him put in a better shift - if he wants to be able to keep this season's second-highest goal-scorer quiet and to complete a double over Thomas Tuchel's side this weekend.
3. The 2011/2012 season was one to forget for Neuer...
During his first term at the Allianz Arena, Neuer featured in all three of Bayern's Klassiker clashes against Dortmund. Unfortunately, he was also on the losing side in every single one of these matches. Not only were die Roten thrashed 5-2 in the DFB Pokal, in which he was only able to make one save, but also were defeated 1-0 in both their home and away Bundesliga matches. Coincidentally, this would also mark the last time die Schwarzgelben would win the Bundesliga in recent seasons.
4. ...but the next term was one he will remember more fondly...especially that meeting at Wembley
Neuer's sophomore season with Bayern Munich will be one that he will not forget in a hurry, as it was during the 2012/2013 term that die Roten became the first ever German team to win the Treble. In total, the Bavarian giants, then under the guidance of Jupp Heynckes faced Dortmund, who were then led by Jurgen Klopp, a total of five times, starting with the DFL Super Cup on August 12, 2012 and ending in a historic all-German Champions League final on May 25, 2013.
And Neuer not only featured in each and every single one of those matches, but to date, it is his only season in which Bayern did not lose any of their meetings with Dortmund. Although he conceded four goals and kept only one clean sheet, he made a total of six saves in the Champions League final to keep his side in the contest and make sure they beat their opponents to the biggest prize in European football.
5.From 2-5 to 5-1..Neuer has experienced both the highs and lows against Dortmund
Bayern's 5-1 drubbing of Dortmund was the best ever result the team have enjoyed with Neuer in between the posts, whilst their 5-2 capitulation in the DFB Pokal in May 2012 was their worst ever outcome. Last season saw him enjoy both home and away victories against die Schwarzgelben - for the first time since joining Bayern - in which he made a total of five saves and conceded just one goal (this, of course, is not including their DFB Pokal defeat via penalties).
So what will fans see on Saturday? Another resounding win for Bayern, with Neuer making it a 15th clean sheet in 25 Bundesliga appearances? Or will Dortmund again find a way past him, whilst getting revenge for their 5-1 humiliation earlier this season?
