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Munich (dpa) - This German Clásico is not a title duel, but the explosiveness is still huge.
On the way to the next championship, league leaders FC Bayern want to show their strength against Borussia Dortmund as the biggest rival of the past decade.
"Games against Dortmund are always special," emphasized Munich national soccer player Joshua Kimmich.
«We are a few points ahead, but Dortmund has the quality to play along.
Therefore, in the end, the mentality may make the difference. "
BVB would love to topple the big Bavarians from the top of the table.
The fifth in the table, Dortmund, has no real chance of scooping 13 points behind Munich, and the two Champions League round of 16 will not meet on Saturday (6.30 p.m. / Sky).
A victory in the Allianz Arena against the club world champion, who recently won four consecutive victories in a direct duel, would be extremely valuable for prestige as well as points for the premier class qualification.
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"It always crackles in the Clásico," said BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke.
The fact that Dortmund is not in the top 4 for the first time since 2016 before the Bundesliga hit does not change that.
"It remains a top game," agreed Bayern President Herbert Hainer.
But before this test of strength, everything speaks for Bayern.
Unlike Borussia, who made it into the semi-finals in the cup, the Munich team, who had long since been eliminated from the cup, had a full week of training.
While the series champions' failure series has largely ended, the guest has to worry about the indispensable regulars Jadon Sancho (9 templates) and Raphael Guerreiro (8).
And in Munich there were recently many lessons in six depressing Bundesliga games with zero points and 3:26 goals.
"I always have the feeling that it always clicks at FC Bayern," said sports director Michael Zorc.
Involuntarily, when the two best offensives in the league are being competed, the goal-scorer duel between Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland also comes into focus.
Lewandowski scored his seventh multiple pack this season in a 5-1 win against Cologne and overtook Haaland (6) in this category.
And the Pole, who chases Gerd Müller's legendary 40-goal mark, has not scored more goals in competitive games against any other club than against Dortmund.
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With BVB colossus Haaland, Kimmich had unpleasant experiences in a clash in the last duel in the 3-2 success in November.
The 26-year-old injured himself at the time, but left that behind for a long time.
"It was an accident that happened," said Kimmich and pushed his team before the next match.
“We need absolute will in every game, not just against Dortmund.
But especially against Dortmund, »said Kimmich.
Coach Hansi Flick, who won all of his four competitive games against Dortmund, also has the core line-up for midfield headquarters thanks to the return of Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka after their corona infections.
The "re-entry" against Cologne was not a problem, reported Müller, who increased his account as the best assists in the league to eleven at 5: 1.
"An important victory came out of it, which helps us to stay at the top of the Bundesliga with a slight margin."
Against Dortmund, another should follow with Serge Gnabry, who also returned successfully against Cologne.
Borussia are hoping for momentum from the cup success this week in Mönchengladbach and after two 2: 3 defeats in Munich they want to finally take something back with them.
"
We showed in both games that we got closer," said coach Edin Terzic before the game on Saturday.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210305-99-700877 / 4
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