FC Bayern probably without a new one at BVB – classic for Kompany “always his own title”

Probably without anyone new at BVB

FC Bayern Munich will probably play the German classic at Borussia Dortmund without captain Manuel Neuer. Coach Vincent Kompany said things were “looking good” for the goalkeeper after recovering from his injury, but it probably wasn’t enough. He would like to discuss a possible deployment for Saturday (6:30 p.m./Sky) with the veteran again.

Neuer was most recently represented by Jonas Urbig in the 3-2 win against Eintracht Frankfurt after suffering a torn fiber in the middle of the month, who will be in goal again in the event of a loss against Borussia. For the former Schalke Neuer, however, given that his contract expires at the end of the season, this could be the last chance to play against his rivals from Dortmund. He wants to make a decision for the future around his 40th birthday on March 27th. So far, Neuer has been between the posts against BVB 44 times, resulting in 26 wins, seven draws and eleven defeats.

Definitely not there is Hiroki Ito, who suffered a torn muscle fiber in his right back thigh. The 26-year-old defensive all-rounder only returned during the season after several metatarsal fractures and has played 15 games since the end of November. Now he will probably have to miss another two to three weeks. In addition to the Japanese, Alphonso Davies is currently missing from the defense (torn hamstring).

FC Bayern goes into the classic against BVB with “gift”.

If the leaders win against BVB, who painfully failed in the Champions League this week, the championship should be finally decided with an eleven-point lead. Kompany doesn’t care about this scenario. “It’s a classic. So for me it’s always its own title,” says Kompany. “The truth is, these games are so important that it’s a small title. That’s why it’s an absolute priority for us to win there.” The Munich team last lost to the black and yellow in March 2024.

The setting before the duel between long-standing rivals is also important. “We can make it as big as it is,” emphasized Kompany. “I think it’s important for the Bundesliga that it’s a really top game. Not just two teams that are afraid.”

The Bayern coach was unable to predict what Dortmund’s reaction would be after the 4-1 defeat in the premier class at Atalanta Bergamo. “Mentally it’s always something, but what comes out of it can go in both directions. But what we have under control is how we get into this game. We had a good week, we felt that it was also a classic week. There was even this healthy poison at times in training, which I love.” If you look not only at the table situation but also at the squad value, the numbers speak for themselves. At 960 million euros, Bayern’s team is almost twice as valuable as BVB’s at 484 million euros.