Roles reversed in classic German clash

FOR ONCE the roles are reversed as Borussia Dortmund take on Bayern Munich in the standout game of the Bundesliga weekend.

In the last 12 editions of the German classic, Bayern were league leaders and Dortmund the team giving chase.

Now the roles are reversed, with Lucien Favre’s side enjoying a fourpoint lead at the top of the table and Bayern lying third, level on points with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Unlike recent seasons, record champions Bayern are adopting a more modest tone ahead of the trip to Dortmund tomorrow in view of the teams’ contrasting form.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness said the team cannot claim they are going out to get the three points in Dortmund, indicating he would be perfectly happy with a draw against the Bundesliga’s only unbeaten side after 10 matches of this campaign.

“We are not going to Dortmund as favourites but as outsiders,” he said.

Bayern at least approach the match on the back of a 2-0 win at home in the Champions League over AEK Athens to give coach Niko Kovac some breathing room and his players a confidence boost.

A win would be the perfect tonic after an indifferent phase which continued with a 1-1 home draw last week against Freiburg, while Dortmund went 15 competitive games without defeat until losing 2-0 at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Under 61-year-old Favre, Dortmund’s attacking form has produced 30 goals in the first 10 league games.

Another victory would put them seven points clear of the champions of the past six seasons.