Bundesliga: Table doesn’t matter: classic of the coaching novices as a “big match”

Tabel? Doesn’t matter. Score? Doesn’t matter. No title explosiveness? Doesn’t matter. The coaching novices Nuri Sahin and Vincent Kompany are undeterred by the special significance of the German football classic between BVB and FC Bayern before their debut duel on the sidelines in the atmospheric Dortmund football temple.

It’s not about first place on Saturday (6.30 p.m./Sky). And for leaders FC Bayern, the test of strength with their eternal rivals in their big top game week only comes third in the sporting rankings behind the already passed Champions League test against Paris Saint-Germain (1-0) and the all-or-nothing -Game in the DFB Cup against Bayer Leverkusen. The first title is at stake against the double winner in 2024.

“This is the game you’re watching”

And yet Kompany said before BVB against Bayern: “This is the classic. You look at this game. I don’t think anyone looks at the table to see who is first, second, third. This won’t just be a big game Germany, but for all of Europe and the whole world.”

The Belgian, who is still undefeated nationally with Bayern, is expecting a celebratory evening. “These games are usually a spectacle. I’m happy when something is going on. There can also be a bit of emotion there.” Even with a ten point lead over BVB.

Sahin made similar comments at the BVB press conference. “This is the biggest game in Germany, the game with the most attention when it comes to the Bundesliga.” And for Sahin, who experienced this top game several times as a player on the pitch, it is also “a ‘big match’ in his new role. It is a privilege for me to be able to be there.” Both Sahin and Kompany share the same goal. “It’s about winning the game.”

Watzke emphasizes “the radiance”

With 81,365 spectators, Signal Iduna Park will be sold out. According to BVB, 400,000 tickets could have been sold. The backdrop with two fiercely rival fan camps should ensure a noise level and emotional framework that will thrill the stars on the pitch. Borussia, who have already made several mistakes away from home, are also an invincible force in their own stadium that can bravely face Bayern.

For BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke, doubts about the special status of the classic are absurd. “This is the game with the two clubs that have by far the most appeal in Germany. And if you don’t recognize that, you should go to the ophthalmologist,” said Watzke on the TV broadcaster Sky. “Go abroad and then ask who the two German lighthouses are.” Then “exactly this answer would come,” believes Watzke.

After all, a series has to break on matchday 12. Dortmund won all of their home games this season. And Bayern are still undefeated nationally this season and, with their new defensive bulwark, have not conceded a goal in seven competitive games in a row.

So who will triumph in the duel between the youngest league coach Sahin (36) and the third youngest, 38-year-old Kompany? The latter has long since moved from an emergency solution to a stroke of luck in Munich. Kompany played a “big part” in the current success, noted sports director Christoph Freund: “He takes people with him and is an important piece of the puzzle.”

Sahin says about his colleague and opponent Kompany: “You can see that he has a huge effect on the team. He is a good coach, an expert. As a player he was a leader on the pitch. Something is growing together in Munich.”

Kompany, in turn, speaks about Sahin, who had to endure and overcome his first major crisis as boss in Dortmund. “I see a very well-coached team with very clear principles. What Dortmund is doing is very interesting. I just see a lot of quality.” He “always prepares his team for the best version” of the opponent.

That Sahin and he himself still lack experience? So what! “New trainers bring creativity. And this job is so intense, you build up experience very quickly.”

Kane leads 50:49 against Guirassy

In the end, however, the aces on the pitch have to decide the top game. Sahin has to take into account the loss of Julian Brandt, who was injured in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Bayern arrive without any new personnel concerns. The focus is also on the goal scorers. Can Dortmund overcome Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with Serhou Guirassy again? And can the BVB defense stop league goal machine Harry Kane in their own stadium? Together, both strikers have 99 Bundesliga goals.

It’s 50:49 for Kane. Sahin relies fully on his nines. “Serhou is one of the best strikers there is right now. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else.” Even though Sahin admitted that he was also a Harry Kane fan.