Bayern vs Borussia Dortmund: Reunion on the cards for Tuchel's first game

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga

Tuchel's first game in charge of Bayern Munich will see him face one of his former teams as the latest installment of Der Klassiker gets underway.

The Bundesliga returns with a bang this weekend, as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund prepare to lock horns in what should be an entertaining Klassiker tie. For well over a decade, Bayern have turned the Bundesliga into a one-horse race as they have successfully retained their league crown without much of a challenge from other teams. This time around, it hasn't been the smoothest of journeys for die Roten, who have now been knocked off top spot by Borussia Dortmund, with die Schwarzgelben sitting one point ahead of their bitter rivals coming into this tie.

For Dortmund fans, who have had to see their team miss out on the league title for seemingly ages, there are once again high hopes that their wait for their first Bundesliga title since 2012 is finally coming to an end. Of course, there are still plenty of games to play, and Dortmund have had their fair share of issues when it comes to playing Bayern in Klassiker ties.

Dortmund battled to a two-all draw in the last Klassiker meeting, but it marked the first time in nine games that die Schwarzgelben were not on the losing end. Of concern is their record at the Allianz Arena - to date, Dortmund have lost all eight of their last eight trips to Bayern's ground, which is the second-worst streak in the club's history.

However, they might feel a bit more encouraged this weekend. Bayern have been in poor form - at least by their lofty standards lately - and as a result, the club's board opted to sack Julian Naglesmann and hire Thomas Tuchel. So far, die Roten have won just five of their 10 Bundesliga games played in 2023, and in addition, have picked up 52 points. The last time they earned this number (51 to be exact), Dortmund won the title.

Given this, Tuchel will be under immense pressure in order to turn his new fortunes around. It will be an interesting reunion, as he will be pitted against none other than Dortmund, a team he managed from 2015 to 2017, and will be familiar with some of the players who will be featuring in Edin Terzic's starting XI this weekend.

With Union Berlin - who are having an outstanding season - lurking just four points behind, Bayern will be hoping to rebound following their 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen last time out. Should die Roten fail to maintain their unbeaten run against Dortmund on home soil, and Union Berlin to win their game against Stuttgart earlier in the day, the title race could take another exciting twist as we head into the tail end of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season.

Team news: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund

Bayern Munich: Lucas Hernandez (knee), Manuel Neuer (broken leg), Mathys Tel (muscular)

Borussia Dortmund: Giovanni Reyna (illness), Thomas Meunier (back), Mateu Morey (match fitness); Doubtful - Youssoufa Moukoko (match fitness), Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (shoulder), Karim Adeyemi (match fitness)

Match facts: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund

Bayern have earned just 52 points so far this season - the second lowest since the 2011/12 campaign, when they earned 51 at this stage and failed to win the league title
Dortmund have lost their last eight away games against Bayern Munich - the second worst in club history
Prior their 2-2 draw last year, Dortmund had lost their last eight consecutive meetings against die Roten