After Borussia Dortmund’s demoralising 4-2 thrashing against Bayern Munich in April, the club’s sporting director Sebastien Kehl struck a defiant tone.
“The championship wasn’t decided yet,” he declared. “We are Borussia, we will get up again. This isn’t done.”
Kehl proved to be correct. Dortmund did get up again. Unfortunately, they tripped over their own shoelaces to gift Bayern a record-extending 11th consecutive league title.
Bayern, however, were guilty of their own fumbles last season both before and after the surprise sacking of Julian Nagelsmann. Ultimately, Thomas Tuchel’s side managed to pip his former employers to the title as Dortmund lost to Mainz on a dramatic final day.
The modern phenomenon of Der Klassiker, a rivalry sparked in the 1990s when Borussia began to challenge for the prizes that Bayern have hoarded for half a century, pits the two perennial favourites for the Bundesliga crown against one another each year.
While Bayern have tended to dominate the fixture of late, the cracks that surfaced last season should give Dortmund renewed hope. Here’s when BVB will be able to test Bayern’s resolve during the 2023/24 campaign.
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5 November 2023 – Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich
As has been the case in six of the last seven seasons, Dortmund’s famous Signal Iduna Park will host the first Klassiker of the new campaign. A 95th-minute equaliser from Anthony Modeste ensured that Dortmund avoided an eighth consecutive league loss to Bayern when the Bavarians travelled to the Ruhr region last October.
Dortmund haven’t collected points off Bayern in back-to-back home games since 2016, when Tuchel was in charge of the Black and Yellows. The Champions League winner with Chelsea was airlifted into Munich last autumn just days before the most recent Klassiker. After triumphing in the derby, Tuchel failed to win five of his next six games in charge of Bayern.
31 March 2024 – Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund
If Borussia Dortmund fail to prevail at the Allianz Arena in March, more than a decade will have elapsed since their previous Bundesliga win away to Bayern (April 2014) – BVB striker Youssoufa Moukoko was just nine at the time.
Gregor Kobel’s horrific air-kick handed Bayern the opening goal on Dortmund’s last visit to Munich but Die Roten don’t need help scoring in this particular fixture. Across their last eight home games against BVB, Bayern have mercilessly piled up 35 goals.
|
Result |
Bundesliga total |
|---|---|
|
Bayern Munich wins |
53 |
|
Borussia Dortmund wins |
25 |
|
Draws |
30 |
When the powers that be in German football decided to cobble together a national championship in 1963, they left Bayern Munich out of the Bundesliga. Dortmund gained entry from the off, finishing fourth, and wouldn’t face Bayern until 1965.
In their belated first Bundesliga meeting, Borussia won 2-0 in Munich as Franz Beckenbauer missed a penalty for the hosts. It would not prove to be a prescient result.
Over recent years, the rivalry has become laughably one-sided. Bayern have won eight of their previous nine league matches against Borussia (D1). Jurgen Klopp was manager of BVB for their last top-flight victory away to a Bayern side that still had Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben on both flanks.
On this week’s edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss Mason Mount’s impending move to Man Utd, Arsenal’s various deals, Liverpool’s pursuit of Dominik Szoboszlai and more!
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