Dortmund vs. Bayern, second-top hosting the league leaders - you'll not find a bigger clash than this in the Bundesliga! The latest edition of Der Klassiker on Saturday (18:30 CET) will be all about records, exceptional goalscorers and may even perhaps be the deciding factor in the battle for the autumn championship, the unofficial title awarded to the team top of the table at the midpoint of the campaign. We have the most important facts and stats on the match for you:
1. FC Bayern the Klassiker specialists
Demonstration of power: On Matchday 8, FCB won 5-1 at second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
For the 12th time in the last ten years and the 17th time overall, Dortmund and Bayern will meet as first and second in the Bundesliga - and it's precisely these crunch meetings that the men from Munich dominate like no other team in this competition. FCB have not lost any of their last 16 Bundesliga matches in which it was a case of first vs. second (twelve wins, four draws). Only recently, in mid-October, the record champions, as league leaders comprehensively thrashed second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen 5-1.
2. Bayern's winning streak in Der Klassiker
No other fixture in German professional football has taken place as often as the one between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern (129 times). The record champions have won all of their last six competitive matches against BVB - the first club to achieve such a long winning streak in this fixture.
3. Klassiker specialists Coman and Lewandowski
Kingsley Coman can look back on a 'perfect' Klassiker record, Robert Lewandowski has been most successful overall in this encounter.
Kingsley Coman has won all seven of his Bundesliga clashes with BVB. No other player has played in this classic Bundesliga match so often and always come off the pitch as the winner. Robert Lewandowski has chalked up the most Bundesliga wins (16) and also the most goals (21) in this encounter. The Pole has scored a total of 24 times against Dortmund, only against Wolfsburg has the 33-year-old been as successful during his career.
4. The two Bundesliga top scorers chasing records
Lewandowski (14 goals this season) and his counterpart Erling Haaland (10) are the two leading scorers in the Bundesliga. With his 50th Bundesliga goal last weekend, the Norwegian recently set a new record after 50 appearances in the German top flight. But the 21-year-old is still nowhere near Lewandowski's record: the Best FIFA Men's Player is on 116 away goals in the Bundesliga and a goal at Signal Iduna Park would see him equal Klaus Fischer's all-time record of 117.
Earlier this week, Robert Lewandowski was named the best striker in Europe:
5. Goals guaranteed
FCB have already scored 42 goals in the current competition. That has only been surpassed once in Bundesliga history after 13 games - by Bayern themselves (44 in the 1976/77 season). BVB have the second-best attack with 33 goals. In addition, there's only been one goalless draw in the most recent 27 Bundesliga clashes between the two rivals (in March 2016).
6. Impressive season under Nagelsmann
Under Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern are enjoying their best Bundesliga season in six years with 31 points after 13 games - the last time they had more points at this stage was in Pep Guardiola's farewell season in 2015/16 (37).
7. BVB impressive at home, but with an FCB phobia
The last time Bayern 'conquered' Signal Iduna Park was in mid-August, when they won 3-1 there in the DFL Supercup.
The Black and Yellows have won their last 11 home games in the Bundesliga. Another win would see the Borussia men equalling their record from 1994 (12 in a row). From BVB's point of view, it's a shame they're now hosting Bayern, of all teams: They've lost their last three matches at home against the German record champions: Only against Hamburger SV (four from 1982 to 1984) and Juventus (four from 1993 to 2015) have Dortmund ever suffered a longer losing streak at home.
In November 1971, just over 50 years ago, FC Bayern celebrated their biggest-ever Bundesliga win to date, an 11-1 thrashing of Dortmund:
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