Plenty of eyes will be on the Bundesliga on Saturday, both from football fans and those involved in recruitment, as the biggest game in Germany takes place.
Borussia Dortmund host Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park, with gameweek nine in the top flight a relative rarity as the visitors do not sit top of the table.
A spate of draws this season leaves Julian Nagelsmann’s side third in the table, two points off Union Berlin and Freiburg - with BVB level on points with Bayern and fourth in the league heading into this clash.
Jude Bellginham has been the star performer for Edin Terzic this term and the Englishman has been made captain in recent weeks, with this being the most important clash of the campaign so far.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of der Klassiker.
When is Dortmund vs Bayern?
Der Klassiker kicks off at 5:30pm BST on Saturday 8 October.
Where can I watch it?
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Football. Subscribers can stream the match via the Sky Sports app. It will also be shown on Sky Sports Football’s YouTube channel. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
What is the team news?
Dortmund are without midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud and striker Sebastien Haller on long-term absences, the latter as he battles testicular cancer. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel should return but Marco Reus is out with a severe cold. Mats Hummels may be back in defence, however.
Bayern still have Lucas Hernandez and Bouna Sarr on the injury list, but Kingsley Coman is ready to return. Thomas Muller will miss the game after illness.
Predicted line-ups
BVB - Kobel, Meunier, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro, Malen, Ozcan, Bellingham, Brandt, Hazard, Moukoko
FCB - Neuer, Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies, Kimmich, Sabitzer, Gnabry, Musiala, Sane, Mane
Odds
Dortmund 7/2
Draw 39/10
Bayern 9/13
Prediction
Dortmund will surely go all-out to try and make the most of a Bayern side who haven’t hit top gear domestically yet, but it’s still hard to see anything other than the usual outcome: several goals and an eventual win for the Bavarians. Dortmund 2-4 Bayern.
