The Bundesliga has been quite surprising this season, and while Bayern Munich were on top of the Bundesliga table coming into the weekend, Red Bull Leipzig beating Bayer Leverkusen has propelled a new club to the top spot — at least for now. That’s piled even more meaning onto what’s already a highly-charged rivalry match, with Bayern heading northwest to face Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund 2016 live stream: Start time, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
The race for the Bundesliga crown is heating up, with Bayern needing a win in a huge rivalry match to keep pace.
Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Bongarts/Getty Images
Dortmund, meanwhile, are hoping to turn around a recent spell of mediocre form — form that’s seen them sink to fifth place in the Bundesliga after a strong start. A win in Der Klassiker on Saturday would not just keep Bayern out of first place, it would put Dortmund just three points behind the Bavarians. That would be a huge accomplishment.
TV: Fox (U.S.), Sky Bundesliga 1/HD (Germany)
Online: Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany)
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. local
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Three big things to know
- Bayern are missing a few important players, with Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez, and Kingsley Coman all expected to sit out thanks to various injuries, plus Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal in doubt. The international break was brutal to their squad, with Robben, Costa, and Vidal all getting hurt playing for their countries.
- While those injuries would seem to level the playing field a bit for Dortmund, what would normally be a solid home field advantage hasn’t helped much of late. They haven’t lost at home since league play started -- though they did lose at home to Bayern in the German Supercup before the season — but they’ve also won just twice in their last five home games, and one of those wins was on penalties in the DFB-Pokal. They’ll need to be much better at home than they’ve shown lately if they want to get anything out of this match.
- For the ever-interested American audience, this match will be a huge test for young Christian Pulisic. If he starts, he’ll likely be lined up against the ever-dangerous David Alaba, a defender capable of dealing with most of the threats that Pulisic brings to the pitch, and whose own attacking gifts will force the young American to be constantly aware. If Pulisic can put in another impressive performance in this match, it will be a huge and excellent sign about his development, perhaps more than any other match he’s had this season.
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