Dortmund Aims to Upset Bayern as Makaay Adds Spice

The build-up to Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund rarely needs extra spice. Roy Makaay added some anyway.

The former Bayern striker, never shy of a sharp line, brushed off Germany’s so‑called “Klassiker” with a wry smile. Speaking to Sport1, the Dutchman said he “only knows one Klassiker” – the clash between Ajax and Feyenoord back home in the Netherlands. For him, Bayern vs Dortmund simply wasn’t that game.

During Makaay’s Bundesliga years from 2003 to 2007, he has a point. Dortmund were drifting in mid-table, a long way from the snarling, title-hunting version that later emerged under Jürgen Klopp. Bayern’s real battles came from elsewhere.

“When I was playing, it wasn’t as big as it has become now. Our main rivals were Schalke, Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen,” Makaay recalled.

The numbers back the memory: Schalke pushed Bayern to the brink in 2001 and 2005, agonisingly close to the title both times, while Werder Bremen, under Thomas Schaaf, ripped the trophy away in 2004 and took it to the Weserstadion.

Back then, Dortmund were a name, not a threat. Today, they arrive in Munich level on points with Bayern, trailing only on goal difference, and one win away from flipping the table on its head.

Fuss Backs Dortmund’s Steel

Not everyone is treating this Klassiker lightly.

Sky commentator Wolf-Christoph Fuss sees a very different Dortmund to the one Makaay remembers – and one that can make Bayern uncomfortable on Saturday evening.

“Defensively, they are remarkably solid under Niko Kovac,” Fuss told ntv, highlighting the new edge Dortmund have shown this season. Bayern, he warned, will have to grind for chances against a side that now defends as a unit, not in fragments.

“Bayern will have to work hard against a very compact defence. They will have to live with the fact that every mistake could be punished,” he said.

The key, in Fuss’s eyes, is structure. Kovac has, as he put it, “managed to establish clear guidelines in Dortmund that everyone knows they can rely on. Those are things that give you confidence. Even in Munich.”

That last line matters. Confidence in Munich is something Dortmund have often lacked. This version, tighter, more disciplined, may travel differently.

Karetsas Back in the Frame

Kovac’s squad list for the trip to Bavaria brings another subtle boost.

According to Ruhr Nachrichten, 18-year-old attacking talent Konstantinos Karetsas has made the 20-man group travelling to Munich. Two weeks ago, that would have sounded optimistic at best. The youngster picked up an ankle ligament injury in the Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin, and the initial fear around the club was of a longer lay-off.

The diagnosis softened, the recovery went well, and now Karetsas is back on the plane. A starting role at the Allianz Arena is almost off the table – the expectation is that he will begin on the bench – but his presence alone gives Kovac one more option between the lines if the game tightens and Dortmund need a different kind of spark.

There is more good news. Ramy Bensebaini returns after serving a red-card suspension, restoring a natural option on the left side of defence. Goalkeeper Alexander Meyer, who had been laid low by a flu-like infection, is also expected to be available again. Marginal gains, perhaps, yet these are the details that can tilt a big night.

Pulisic’s Milan Chapter Rolls On

While Dortmund fix their gaze on Munich, one of their former crown jewels continues to write a new story in Italy.

Christian Pulisic, once the bright teenage hope in black and yellow and later a Champions League winner with Chelsea, has committed his long-term future to AC Milan. The club announced, on the eve of the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, that the 28-year-old US international has signed a new contract running until June 2031.

Milan did not hold back in underlining his impact. “His 44 goals in 141 games for the Rossoneri underline both his importance to the team and his role in the club’s future plans,” read the club statement. Since arriving in July 2023, Pulisic has, in their words, developed into a “key player”.

For Dortmund supporters, it is a reminder of what once was – the teenager who lit up the Westfalenstadion now a seasoned leader in Serie A. For Milan, it is a statement that their project will be built with Pulisic at its core for years to come.

Back in Germany, though, the spotlight swings firmly to Saturday night. Bayern on top by goal difference, Dortmund close enough to touch them. Once, this fixture barely registered on Roy Makaay’s rivalry radar. Now, with the table tight, Kovac’s defence drilled, and a Klassiker reputation long since earned, the question is simple: can Dortmund turn the old hierarchy on its head in Munich?