Der Klassiker

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There are some derby fixtures around the world that do not have a long history. Der Klassiker is a good example and this is the match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

The game has been played for many years and these are two of the most successful teams in German football. However, the most recent successes of the two clubs are why this has become a derby match in Germany.

As we look ahead to the first Der Klassiker of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season, we must go back to 1965 to see the first meeting between the teams.

The match took place on the 16th of October and it was Borussia Dortmund who came out on top, winning the game 2-0.

In terms of the standout results between the two clubs, the biggest margin of victory for Bayern Munich in the history of the Bundesliga came against Borussia Dortmund when they beat them 11-1 in 1971. That is the second biggest defeat in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund.

On the 12th of May 1983, we saw the highest scoring draw between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, with the game ending 4-4.

It was not really until the 1990s that this match became a big event in German football. This is when Borussia Dortmund started to assert themselves at the top of German football.

They won the Bundesliga title back-to-back in the mid-90s and lifted the Champions League trophy at the home Bayern Munich in 1997.

The teams have met in the Champions League and we had a Der Klassiker in the quarter-final of the 1997/98 Champions League and it was Borussia Dortmund who came out on top, winning 1-0 on aggregate.

In terms of individual fixtures, they do not come much bigger than the Champions League final. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich clashed in the 2012 Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.

It was the first all-German European final and Bayern Munich won the game 2-1 thanks to a late goal by Arjen Robben.

Looking at recent results in the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich have been dominating Der Klassiker in recent times. Ahead of the first meeting in 2022/23, Bayern Munich have won each of the last 7 Bundesliga meetings with Borussia Dortmund.

Since the beginning of the 2012/13 season, Borussia Dortmund have won only 3 of the 20 Bundesliga matches against Bayern Munich. Overall, in the Bundesliga, Der Klassiker has been played 108 times and Bayern Munich have 53 wins compared to 26 wins for Borussia Dortmund.

Looking at the performance of individual players across the 133 derbies between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in all competitions, Robert Lewandowski is the top goal scorer.

The Polish striker represented both clubs and has scored 32 goals in Der Klassiker. Thomas Muller holds the record for the most appearances at 39 and is set to build on that number.

Several players have made the switch between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich directly. Lewandowski is one, along with Torsten Frings, Mats Hummels, Mario Gotze, Sebastian Rode, and Niklas Sule.