PREVIEW | Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern München – team news, lineups, predictions

Signal Iduna Park will stage the 24th match-day of the 1. Bundesliga 2025/26 on Saturday evening when Borussia Dortmund welcome runaway leaders Bayern München for the latest instalment of Der Klassiker. Sky Sports Football’s live coverage begins at 17:30 GMT.

Niko Kovac’s Dortmund, second in the table on 52 points, need a statement result after a bruising 4-1 home defeat to Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on 25 February. The Schwarzgelben have nevertheless been formidable on their own patch, winning their last three league fixtures at the Iduna Park and scoring in six consecutive competitive matches. Their only domestic loss in the previous nine home games came back in November, while they have conceded just once in the league since Christmas.

Vincent Kompany’s Bayern arrive in the Ruhr valley sitting pretty on 60 points and chasing a fourth straight championship. The Bavarians edged Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 last weekend, extending an eye-catching sequence of just two defeats in their last 36 competitive outings. Away from the Allianz Arena, the record champions have tasted defeat only once in 19 assignments, scoring in every one of those contests and avoiding defeat in the most recent eight.

Team news

Kovac is expected to stick with the XI that began against Atalanta, fitness permitting. Captain Emre Can will screen a back four of Julian Ryerson, Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini and Julian Brandt, while teenage midfielder Jobe Bellingham again partners Felix Nmecha in the double pivot. The attacking quartet of Daniel Svensson, Maximilian Beier, Serhou Guirassy and Brandt will be tasked with unsettling Bayern’s high line.

Kompany, meanwhile, has no fresh injury concerns. Jonas Urbig continues in goal behind a back four of Josip Stanisic, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae and Alphonso Davies. Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic anchor midfield, with Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Luis Díaz supplying ammunition for Harry Kane, who has already struck 21 league goals this term.

Head-to-head

Saturday’s meeting will be the 139th competitive clash between the clubs. Bayern hold the overall edge with 67 wins to Dortmund’s 34, but the Westphalians can take heart from the Signal Iduna ledger: each side has prevailed 21 times in 63 league visits for the Bavarians. In the Bundesliga alone, Bayern have won 55 of 113 fixtures, with 26 victories for BVB and 32 draws.

Kovac’s personal record against Bayern makes grim reading – one win, two draws, eight defeats in 11 attempts – while he has yet to overcome Kompany, drawing one and losing one. The Belgian coach, for his part, has faced Dortmund three times as a coach, winning once and drawing twice.

Key numbers

• Bayern have lost only twice in their last 36 competitive matches. • Dortmund have scored in six successive games but have gone two without a victory. • Bayern have scored in 19 consecutive away fixtures. • Dortmund have won their last three home league games; Bayern have won eight of their last nine on the road.

Predictions

Bayern’s relentless consistency and Kane’s hot streak make them favourites, yet Dortmund’s resurgent home form and the cauldron-like atmosphere of a sold-out 81,000 capacity arena ensure a tight contest. Expect goals: both sides have found the net in 11 of the last 13 Klassiker league encounters. A high-tempo, end-to-end affair should finish with the champions elect extending their lead at the summit, but only after a stern examination from the hosts.