Borussia Dormund vs Bayern Munich - Key Battles
The Der Klassiker has been, for years, the most anticipated football match in German football. While the Bundesliga does not feature any prominent inter-city derbies, this fixture between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is no less than a derby when it comes to intensity.
Bayern Munich, as expected, are leading the Bundesliga table but are level on points with Hoffenheim. Borussia Dortmund have been faltering regularly because of their leaky defence and Last season’s runners-up in the Bundesliga are languishing in the 5th position, 6 points behind title favourites, Bayern. They have also conceded 12 goals, the most goals conceded amongst the top 7 so far.
With world class talents on display in nearly every position, the game will be won or lost because of the slightest error. Here we look at some of the key individual battles of the match:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Mats Hummels
Blessed with incredible pace, Aubameyang has been a different player altogether under Tuchel. He scored 39 goals last season, 25 of them coming in the league and has started off from where he finished last season, having scored 11 goals in the league this season already.
That’s only 3 goals less than the rest of the team combined! The Borussia Dortmund side are the highest scoring side in the Bundesliga with 25 goals in 10 matches and Aubameyang is the biggest contributor to this lethal attack. He has scored or assisted 48% of the Borussia Dortmund goals so far.
He will be facing his former BVB teammate, Mats Hummels in the Bayern Munich defence. Hummels will have a tough time trying to adjust to the fact that the Yellow Wall will be screaming at him with anger instead of chanting his name like they did over the years. The former Borussia Dortmund captain will be facing his biggest test yet as a Bayern Munich defender.
Hummels is one of the slower defenders around, meaning Aubameyang can have a free run against him on a bad day. However, what he lacks in pace, he covers up in defensive intelligence and is one of the hardest defenders to beat.
The German international has made 53 ball recoveries so far, and 28 interceptions. One of his biggest strengths is his aerial ability, and he has won 34 headed duels with a 76% success. Hummels may not be able to recover if Aubameyang runs past him, but getting past him would be a monumental task for Aubameyang, who has only completed 6 dribbles so far.
However, this battle goes both ways. Hummels himself has created 3 chances and pings long balls towards attackers with ease, often splitting the defence almost majestically. Against a high pressing team like Borussia Dortmund, his ability to bypass the midfield will come in handy.
Aubameyang’s relentless pressing will be very helpful against this hazard. Hummels often leaves his position to find some space to attack the midfield and find the perfect delivery to the attackers. Aubameyang’s pace and intelligence will surely make him wary of leaving behind open spaces.