RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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‘Bold and hungry’ for the Super Cup against Bayern Munich
Current situation
In six friendly matches, Borussia Dortmund showed a clear upward trend. After a win against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and a defeat to Fortuna Düsseldorf, the Japan tour also produced mixed results – first a 0–1 loss to Cerezo Osaka, then a 1–0 win over FC Tokyo. BVB looked improved at the end of pre-season with a 3–2 victory away to English champions Arsenal and a 2–2 draw after coming back from 0–2 down against AS Roma. One reason behind the significant improvement in form is also the gradual return of the World Cup players. It was not until the season-opening event last Saturday that the final two internationals, Gregor Kobel and Julian Ryerson, returned to the squad.
“We are at the beginning of the season. No one really knows exactly where they stand. That’s why this game will be a good indicator. We want to win the match, we’re playing at home. The first title is up for grabs, and ideally we want to keep it here,” said BVB coach Niko Kovac. Lars Ricken, managing director for sport, added: “With this game, we should show our fans what our ambitions are: that we want to be brave, that we are ready to fight for this title, that we are hungry for this game. If we win, it could also be the spark that sets this season in motion.”
Squad
“The squad is pretty full,” is the good news. At the same time, however, it also presents BVB coach Niko Kovac with a challenge: “We will have to leave some players out.” More here:
Opponents
Six friendly matches, five wins. Only the opener at Wehen Wiesbaden was lost (1–2); after that, Bayern Munich beat FC Rottach-Egern 15–0 in pre-season. On the Asia tour in South Korea and Hong Kong, wins followed against Jeju SK (2–1) and Aston Villa (2–1). Back in Germany, the team defeated RB Leipzig (3–1) and 1. FC Heidenheim (4–2). During the summer break, Bayern strengthened their defence with Nathaniel Brown (from Eintracht Frankfurt) and their attack with Ismael Saibari (from PSV Eindhoven).
BVB can draw level with FCB
Saturday brings an anniversary: in this year’s Supercup, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will meet for the tenth time in an official edition of this competition (in addition, there was one unofficial match between the two teams). For the first time since 2021, the Munich side will return to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.
The record is almost even: Munich have won five times so far, BVB four. With a victory, Dortmund can draw level. In 2013, 2014 and 2019, the Black and Yellows beat the Munich side at home.
For BVB, it would be their seventh official Supercup title overall – after triumphs in 1989, 1995, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2019. It is already the 13th time that the Black and Yellows have played for the trophy. The next title winner will be determined on Saturday. If there is no winner after 90 minutes, the match will go straight to a penalty shootout. Christina Reinke
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
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