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Der Klassiker returns with Bayern and Dortmund's rivalry perfectly poised

25-May-2020 12:21:54 | The Guardian

Tuesday’s match will be played in strange circumstances but a home win would fire up title race and keep the world watching

Ever since the Bundesliga’s fixture list was released way back in July last year, the timing has looked delicious. For neutrals, the two fixtures that tend to leap out are the confrontations between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Fans have practically been able to set their watch on the arrival of the return fixture, placed within the span of a week in early April for five of the last seven seasons.

In 2019-20, the return had a twist. For the first time since 2016, the second match would be played in Dortmund, more significant than it sounds given BVB’s woeful record in Munich in recent years – six successive Bundesliga losses, with three goals scored and 24 conceded. For Dortmund, another trip to their Allianz Arena field of screams in a potential title run-in would have been a major psychological obstacle.