Bayern and Dortmund face off with European hopes hanging by a thread

Bayern Munich's home 'Klassiker' against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 12 April 2025, will take place under the shadow of potential Champions League elimination for both sides, with each club battling to salvage their European campaigns.

This fixture has become the Bundesliga's premier rivalry over the past 15 years, especially since Dortmund's back-to-back titles under Jürgen Klopp. However, both teams come into the match amid their Champions League quarter-final struggles.

Bayern, plagued by injuries, lost 2-1 at home to Inter Milan in the first leg on Tuesday. In the second leg, Bayern will need a two-goal victory to avoid extra time or a one-goal win and hope for success on penalties. They can take comfort from their strong record at the San Siro, where they have won three times and drawn twice in five encounters. Notably, it was also the site of Bayern's 2001 Champions League final win over Valencia.

Meanwhile, Dortmund, who were finalists in the Champions League last season, are facing a far steeper challenge. They were hammered 4-0 in Barcelona and will need one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the competition's history to progress to the semi-finals.

Compounding the pressure on both teams is the ongoing battle in the Bundesliga. With six matches remaining, Bayern could be just three points ahead of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen at kick-off, assuming Xabi Alonso's side beats Union Berlin earlier on Saturday. Bayern cannot afford to slip up against Dortmund, with Leverkusen having won 14 of their past 18 games, losing just once.

Dortmund, sitting in eighth place and five points adrift of the top four, will fight for every point in an attempt to keep their slim Champions League qualification hopes alive. Following the humbling loss to Barcelona, Dortmund manager Niko Kovac warned his players that Bayern would offer a similar challenge, saying, "Bayern are on the same level as Barcelona. We need to do better defensively. A defeat is always a setback, but the Bundesliga is a different story. Bayern are fighting for the title, and we know it will not be easy."

A glimmer of hope for Dortmund comes from their 2-0 victory in this fixture last season, their first league win in Munich since 2014.

Leverkusen, aiming to close the gap on Bayern, are set to receive a timely boost with the return of Florian Wirtz, who is expected to be fit for this weekend's match. Wirtz has been crucial to Leverkusen's attack, having set up eight of Patrik Schick's 17 league goals this season, with Schick scoring just once since Wirtz's injury.