Bayern vs Dortmund preview: Klassiker level on 17 points, Kompany absent

For the first time in years, Der Klassiker arrives with the two clubs level at the top. Bayern Munich host Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, 31 October (18:30 CET, 17:30 GMT), on matchday 8 of the Bundesliga. Both sides have 17 points from seven games, both are unbeaten, and only goal difference keeps Bayern in first place. According to the Bundesliga, it will be the 115th meeting between the two clubs.

Bayern without Kompany on the touchline

The build-up in Munich has been dominated by events off the pitch. Head coach Vincent Kompany collapsed last Friday while watching a reserve-team training session and was taken to hospital. He has since been discharged, AP reported on Thursday, but assistant Aaron Danks says there is still no timeline for his return and the doctors will decide. Danks is leading the team in the meantime, and the squad has not missed a beat: a 3-1 win at Freiburg on Sunday, then a 6-1 home win over second-tier Magdeburg in the German Cup on Wednesday, when Michael Olise scored twice and Harry Kane, crowned Ballon d'Or winner on Monday, was rested.

Bayern are still without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Jamal Musiala and Luis Díaz, according to reports from dpa and Goal.

Dortmund: solid in the league, wild in the cup

Niko Kovač's team have collected their points with far fewer goals than Bayern: a +8 goal difference built on tight, controlled wins such as last Saturday's 1-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt. The cup tie against Werder Bremen on Tuesday was the opposite: Dortmund led 2-0 at half-time, let Niclas Füllkrug equalise with two goals in three minutes, and only went through thanks to a Marcel Sabitzer free kick in stoppage time (3-2).

Kovač, who coached Bayern in 2018-19, did not hide the size of the task. "Bayern are the pinnacle not only in Germany but in Europe," he told reporters on Thursday, as quoted by dpa. "We have to play 90 minutes at the very highest level." Playmaker Konstantinos Karetsas, out since a ligament injury in mid-October, trained partly with the team; Kovač said a decision would follow Friday's session. Around 8,000 Dortmund fans are expected in Munich, according to the club. Tobias Stieler will referee.

The top of the table

Pos	Team	P	GD	Pts
1	Bayern Munich	7	+19	17
2	Borussia Dortmund	7	+8	17
3	SC Freiburg	7	+7	13
4	Bayer Leverkusen	7	+4	13
5	RB Leipzig	7	+9	12

Matchday 8 also matters for the chasing pack (Saturday, CET):

• 15:30: Bayer Leverkusen – VfB Stuttgart
• 15:30: FC Augsburg – SC Freiburg
• 15:30: Schalke 04 – RB Leipzig
• 18:30: Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund

History says: tight

The last time these two met level on points, on matchday 9 of 2022-23, it finished 2-2 after a late Anthony Modeste equaliser. Dortmund's last win in Munich came in March 2024 (2-0). Since then Bayern have had the upper hand, most recently with a 2-1 win in Dortmund in the Supercup in August.

Our take

On paper Bayern are favourites: they score far more, play at home and have barely been affected by their coach's absence. But the gap is smaller than the goal difference suggests. Dortmund's league results have been built on control rather than goals, and a side that can sit deep and break quickly is exactly the kind of opponent that troubles Bayern when the press is not perfect. For Danks, the first Klassiker in charge is a big stage; for Kovač, a draw in Munich would keep Dortmund level and turn this into a genuine title race. A Bayern win, on the other hand, would open a three-point gap after only eight games – and with Leverkusen and Freiburg also in action, Saturday could reshape the top four.

Follow Bayern vs Dortmund live on EZCO and check the updated Bundesliga table after the final whistle.