‘Crazy’ Lewandowski, Haaland clash as Bayern host Dortmund

BERLIN: Bayern Munich and their veteran striker Robert Lewandowski host Borussia Dortmund and their Norwegian top-scorer Erling Braut Haaland in Germany’s ‘Klassiker’ on Saturday.

With 28 goals in 22 league games, Lewandowski is on his way to being crowned the Bundesliga’s top-scorer for the fourth season running.

The Poland international has banged in 16 goals in his last 13 league games.

“That man is crazy. Just crazy,” Haaland told Norwegian TV, admitting he is a fan of his Polish rival.

“When I score, I’m one goal closer to catching him up.”

Gerd Mueller’s all-time record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga season is under threat.

At the same stage of the 1971/72 season, Mueller had scored 25 goals; Lewandowski has 28.

Despite missing a month with injury, Haaland, 20, has managed 17 league goals this season, but admitsthereis“alot”hecanlearnfromlewandowski.

Bayern have won the club’s last four clashes, including a 3-2 win at Dortmund last November, when both Haaland and Lewandowski both scored.

That followed a 3-2 victory for Bayern in the German Super Cup in September, yet Dortmund fancy their chances at Munich’s Allianz Arena. Both teams are in form.

Dortmund have won their last four games while Bayern have scored nine goals in their last two wins.

Thomas Mueller, having recovered from Covid-19, set up one of Lewandowski’s two goals in a 5-1 thumping of Cologne last Saturday. Bayern are top of the Bundesliga and 13 points clear of Dortmund, but only two ahead of second-placed Leipzig. Fifthplaced Dortmund want a win in Munich to bridge the three-point gap to the Champions League places.

Meanwhile, Attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala signed his first professional contract with Bayern Munich on Friday. The Bavarian club said in a statement that the 18-year-old Musiala, who recently chose to play internationally for Germany over England, had signed a deal to 2026.

Leipzig have a tricky tie on Saturday at Freiburg, where they last won nearly five years ago.

German League fixtures (all times 1430GMT unless stated) Saturday: Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim vs VFL Wolfsburg, Freiburg vs RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt vs VFB Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin vs Augsburg, Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund (1730) Sunday: Cologne vs Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld vs Union Berlin (1700)