Bayern set for ‘lively’ Klassiker away at Borussia Dortmund
Baku, November 30, AZERTAC
The eyes of the footballing world will be on Bayern as they take on Borussia Dortmund in the first Klassiker of the season on Saturday, according to the official website of the FC Bayern.
Bayern have been in superb form of late, winning their last seven games in all competitions. Defensive solidity has been one of the defining features of that run, having kept clean sheets in all seven fixtures, while Manuel Neuer hasn’t conceded a goal for 664 minutes. “It feels really good right now. We have good energy, everyone’s pulling in the same direction. We can feel that within and are embodying that outward,” said sporting director Christoph Freund of the current feeling in Munich.
Head coach Vincent Kompany also expressed his pleasure at his team’s form when he spoke at Friday’s pre-match press conference, while also looking ahead to a crucial run of fixtures. “Recent results are good, we’ve earned that, but it’s in the past. Now it’s about maintaining this level and continuing to improve,” the Belgian stated. The next big test of that comes on Saturday in an emotionally charged encounter in Dortmund. “We know what can come from the stands there. But we can go there with confidence, want to keep a clean sheet and win again,” added board member for sport Max Eberl.
Confidence is certainly something Bayern have, given the recent run of results that has seen them build up a six-point advantage over Eintracht Frankfurt at the top of the Bundesliga. Kompany can also sense the excitement going into his first Dortmund encounter as Bayern boss: “It’s Der Klassiker. I like it when games like this get a special build-up. Everyone’s excited for the match.”
Things are much different at home, though, with BVB winning all eight matches at their Signal Iduna Park so far. “Our demand is to win at home. There’s no reason not to be confident. We know what sort of energy we have in our stadium,” said Dortmund head coach Nuri Sahin. His Bayern counterpart is also aware of the oppositions’ strengths: “When they’re playing well, they press high. They’re also dangerous on the counter, have a lot of pace out wide and players with the technical ability to play the final pass.”
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