The phrase Julian Brandt used was “the 34th game”. It was a factual way of describing Borussia Dortmund’s heartbreak, the last-day meltdown against Mainz that meant Bayern Munich retain their familiar status as champions of Germany. Rather than Brandt or any of his Dortmund teammates, Jamal Musiala had the distinction of scoring the goal that won the Bundesliga, Bayern’s victory against Koln securing their 11th successive title.
And so Saturday’s Klassiker, Harry Kane’s first, having settled superbly since joining from Tottenham, comes with the familiar backdrop of Bayern as champions and Dortmund as challengers, albeit with the different landscape of Bayer Leverkusen topping the table. It could be seen as a quest for redemption or revenge or a chance to reorder German football. As is often the case, the burden of proof lies with Dortmund: to depose Bayern, they may first have to beat them. “We have played well in lots of games without managing to reward ourselves in games against Bayern,” said Brandt.
