Wednesday marks the return of the German domestic season, with reigning league champions Bayern Munich going head to head with their rivals Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup. On paper, Bayern are strong favourites, though Dortmund have still managed to keep hold of most of their key players in the face of interest from across Europe this summer. They certainly shouldn't be written off.
Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund, 2014 DFL-Supercup: Preview and TV schedule
All eyes are on Robert Lewandowski in Wednesday’s DFL-Supercup, as the Bayern striker faces his former club for the first time.
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Key player - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
One player who has left Dortmund this summer is striker Robert Lewandowski, who departed for Bayern on the expiry of his contract. He follows in the footsteps of Mario Götze, who swapped BVB for the Bavarians this time last year. As one of the best players in the world, it certainly wasn’t a popular move among the Dortmund fans, who will have all eyes on the Polish striker as he faces off against his former club for the first time.
Key matchup - Ciro Immobile vs. the Bayern centre-backs
The departure of Lewandowski has left Dortmund lacking in a genuinely world class centre-forward, though they’ve signed Ciro Immobile on the back of an excellent season in Serie A, hopeful that he’ll be able to recreate his fine form in the Bundesliga. There are still big doubts about the powerful striker, whose technique certainly isn’t yet at the level of a top attacker. However, with Dortmund pretty short on other options up top, they’ll be praying he’s firing on all cylinders this season.
Bayern Munich injuries and suspensions
Out: Franck Ribéry (knee), Rafinha (ankle). In doubt: Thiago Alcântara (knee).
Borussia Dortmund injuries and suspensions
Out: Mats Hummels (fitness), Marco Reus (knee). In doubt: Roman Weidenfeller (fitness), Neven Subotić (cold), Nuri Şahin, Jakub Błaszczykowski (knee), İlkay Gündoğan (back).
Bayern Munich look set to be without important first-teamer Franck Ribéry with a knee injury, while Thiago Alcântara is also likely to miss out. Right-back Rafinha is also unavailable, though his absence should come as rather less of a concern to Pep Guardiola. Despite their World Cup exertions, the likes of Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller should all be involved.
Dortmund will be without World Cup winner Mats Hummels, who only recently joined his domestic teammates for pre-season training. Marco Reus, who was ruled out of Germany’s campaign with a knee injury, is also definitely out. Roman Weidenfeller, Neven Subotić, Nuri Şahin, Jakub Błaszczykowski and İlkay Gündoğan are all in doubt, potentially leaving Dortmund with a considerably weaker team than they’d ideally have.
Mats Hummels and Matthias Ginter, Photo credit: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 6 p.m. local, 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
TV: Gol TV (U.S. and Canada), BT Sport 1 (U.K.), ZDF (Germany)
Online: BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
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