Duels with FC Bayern are special milestones for every Bundesliga club in the course of a season.

As a rule, however, they quickly disappear again in the depths of the less pleasant memories.

Many a supporter of VfL Bochum will have long since repressed Munich's 7-0 defeat from the first half of the season.

The Revierklub's heaviest defeat in Bundesliga history was not only humiliating, it raised fundamental doubts about the suitability of the promoted team for this high level.

After the final whistle, VfL found themselves at the bottom of the table together with Greuther Fürth.

This Saturday (3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) the Bochum team will once again be measuring themselves against the record champions and the feeling of a lack of a chance has gone.

"I'm looking forward to the game," says coach Thomas Reis, who now looks back very calmly on the 7-0 shock from September.

Bochum have long since proven that they fit in wonderfully in this Bundesliga.

The business trip to Munich is now seen more as a key moment in a long process full of progress.

Under no circumstances does he want to experience such a dismantling again, says Reis, "but the defeat was very, very instructive and helped us somewhere to play the season we are playing now." VfL Bochum is on that devastating afternoon grown up.

Bold favorite football is passé

During the first weeks of the Bundesliga, the coach and the players of the second division champions from the previous season realized that they had no chance with the courageous favorite football from the second division one class higher.

"It was difficult to get that into the heads of the players because this style brought us up," says Reis in an interview with "Sport-Bild".

After the Munich experience, however, it was clear "that we had to defend first," explains Reis, which brought out another strength of the team: counterattacking.

In the meantime, VfL Bochum has developed a cleverly structured underdog style with a good mix of speed, robustness and individual quality.

Strong-willed and dedicated, the team is backed by a devoted audience.

The 8500 people who are currently admitted will also create a rousing atmosphere against FC Bayern.

Striker Sebastian Polter, who played for Union Berlin for four years until 2020, even believes that VfL can develop in a similar way to his former club.

After many years in the second division, Union was able to establish itself in the Bundesliga and is now even in the top third of the table.

"Both are workers' clubs that fight hard for everything with little means," said Polter in an interview with "Sportbuzzer" comparing the two clubs.

The clubs are also connected by the family atmosphere, the cohesion and the somewhat old-fashioned but all the more atmospheric stadiums and the passionate audience.

With these means, VfL reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup and collected an amazing 25 points in the league.

Eleven place is also respectable, but a closer look at the table also shows how dangerous the situation is for Bochum.

Thin cushion for Bochum

A year ago, VfL would have had a seven-point lead over the relegation place with this result after 21 match days, two years ago eight, three years ago even ten.

Sixteenth in the table, FC Augsburg, has already managed to earn 22 points this season.

Despite the strong season, Bochum's cushion is dangerously thin and the schedule looks challenging: between the two difficult home games against FC Bayern and RB Leipzig, a highly explosive away game at VfB Stuttgart is imminent.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the club slips a bit in the table over the coming weeks.

And now the goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, who has been so strong so far, is also out due to a corona infection.

But coach Reis tries to exude composure.

"If we play to stay up until the end, then we've achieved a lot," he says.

And why shouldn't the next surprise succeed against Bayern?

"We want to get points, no matter against whom.

If you don't show this attitude, you can stay at home," says Reis, whose strategy for the unequal duel is clear: "I've already ordered a bus for our goal." Although VfL always finds ways into the opposing penalty area in home games .