The top game between FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is significantly less of a top game than in previous years. In addition to Bundesliga points, many German national players are interested in applying for the European Championship, especially for former players.
As right defender Niklas Süle, inside Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck, left back Marius Wolf, in front of Emre Can as a clearer and Felix Nmecha as a mixture of “six” and “eight”, in the offensive midfield Julian Brandt on the right and Karim Adeyemi on the left “Ten” Marco Reus, as striker Niclas Füllkrug, who will later be supported or replaced by Youssoufa Moukoko: This is how Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzić could put together his field players for the game on Saturday (March 30, 2024, in full length in the audio stream from 6:20 p.m.). .
To the live ticker: FC Bayern – Borussia Dortmund arrow right 27th matchday arrow right
That would then be a composition of former and current German national players, with the former ones clearly being in the majority. Currently only Füllkrug was in national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, and he was initially on the bench in the two friendly games against France and the Netherlands when he scored the winning goal to make it 2-1.
At kick-off in Frankfurt there was only one Dortmund international player on the pitch, and his name was Donyell Malen. The Dutchman is also expected to start in Munich, just like his compatriot Ian Maatsen, the Norwegian Julian Ryerson, the Turkish national player Salih Özcan and the Englishman Jadon Sancho.
Even though there was some discussion, no one shook their head for long as to why Nagelsmann left out this or that Dortmund player, and Terzić will hardly be pilloried for leaving this or that former Germany international on the bench.
Difficult April for BVB
The national coach said after the game against the Netherlands that he had already allocated most of the places in the squad for the European Championship. Anyone who wasn’t there but wants to play the tournament in their own country will have to show in the coming weeks that they are in “significantly better” shape than those who have just received a high level of trust.
There are enough opportunities for the professionals from Borussia Dortmund, because after the duel with the second-placed team, they play in the Bundesliga against the third-placed team, VfB Stuttgart, and then in the Champions League in Madrid against Atlético. This is followed by an away game at Borussia Mönchengladbach, the second leg against Atlético and the home game against leaders Bayer Leverkusen, before April ends with the game at RB Leipzig, the current main rival for renewed qualification for the Champions League.
In the previous games against teams from the current top 5 in the table, BVB only got one point, in a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen. The home games against Munich and Leipzig were lost, as was the away game at VfB Stuttgart.
Terzić wants to play “very courageously”.
“The next few weeks will be extremely exciting,” said Terzić during the press conference before the game in Munich, where he was of course also asked about the past games with the champions. BVB lost nine times in a row and conceded 37 goals, an average of just over four per game.
In the first leg there were exactly four, Dortmund didn’t score any, and that’s also why they are ten points behind Munich, who in turn have ten points less than Leverkusen. It is difficult to sell the so-called classic as a top classic game, as has often been the case in recent years, even if in retrospect there was usually a clear winner.
BVB wanted to be “very courageous” this time too and “show that our season is far from over,” said Terzić. “Of course we know that we are entering a phase in which we can afford few slip-ups.”
Tuchel only has eight German national players, strictly speaking only seven
The Dortmund coach is convinced that “Bayern are far from giving up.” This can also be heard from his Munich colleague Thomas Tuchel, who worked at BVB from 2015 to 2017 and lost the Bundesliga games at FC Bayern 1:5 and 1:4 during that period.
If Tuchel only wanted to field former or current German national players against BVB, he would have an outstanding goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer, but only seven field players. Strictly speaking, there are only six, as Aleksandar Pavlović was called up to the squad for the international matches in March for the first time, but had to withdraw due to tonsillitis.
The 19-year-old midfielder is competing with his teammate Leon Goretzka for the few spots that Nagelsmann still has available. He wasn’t there in the friendly matches against France and the Netherlands, nor were Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry. In contrast to Sané, who is still banned from international matches but was promised a place in the squad by the national coach, Gnabry will have to prove in the coming weeks that he is significantly better than others.
In the so-called classic, he will initially sit on the bench, like so many other German national players.