Bayern and Dortmund separated by one point ahead of table-topper

Bayern Munich had a tough game against Arminia Bielefeld, but were relieved to secure the one-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund ahead of the football Bundesliga table-topper next weekend.

Berlin (dpa) – It was only when the referee blew the final whistle that Bayern Munich was able to take a deep breath and celebrate that the 1-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday kept them at the top of the Bundesliga table.

That means Bayern has the advantage, if only by a single point, when going to the table-topper at Borussia Dortmund next weekend.

“Dortmund won, so we were under a bit of pressure. Fortunately, we broke the deadlock. We don’t always have to score three, four or five goals. One is enough sometimes,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

The clash between the two sides, called Der Klassiker, has become a big moment in the Bundesliga season in the past 10 years, even when Bayern and Dortmund were not battling for the title with each other.

But the meetings, dominated by the Bavarians since 2019, have proven to be an important turning point, especially for Bayern. Their last league win over Dortmund, a spectacular comeback from two goals down to triumph 4-2 in March, secured the German champions a two-point lead over then title rival RB Leipzig.

“Our anticipation ahead of Der Klassiker is always enormous. The victory [over Bielefeld] was enormously important for us to be able to go into the game with our heads held high,” winger Serge Gnabry said.

Bayern will again be trying to achieve a positive turnaround after a disastrous defeat at Augsburg a week ago, the tough game against Bielefeld and the coronavirus drama surrounding the club.

Since defender Joshua Kimmich revealed he was not vaccinated against Covid-19, the Bavarians have been grappling with quarantines and coronavirus infections – Kimmich himself included – that have not only affected performance but also created some tension.

On Dortmund’s side, things seem slightly calmer. As they bid for a first league title since 2012, they could celebrate the return of top scorer Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian striker scored on his return from injury to help Dortmund come back from a goal down, beat Wolfsburg 3-1 and close the gap to Bayern.

“We won an important Bundesliga match,” Dortmund coach Marco Rose said.

“Overall, we know that there are still things we want and need to keep working on. We need to get better if we actually want to be able to pose a real threat to Bayern,” Rose added.

And for Dortmund, to be able to rely on Haaland, who scored twice in the 4-2 defeat in March, will be of great importance to achieve the goal of not losing sight of the Bavarians.

“Erling gives us a lot of energy when he’s on the field. He’s a difference-maker that you cannot replace in the long run,” Rose said about his player.

With no mid-week games, both teams will have plenty of time to prepare for the clash on December 4.