Dortmund vs. Bayern: The view from the terrace

How have you found the Bundesliga restart so far?

Pini (Dortmund): I accept that there’s a certain necessity for ghost games, but I find them boring. I wouldn’t even call the game against Schalke a derby, for example, because there were no fans.

I couldn’t take it seriously; it was like a TV show. It’s not comparable with normal football. Normally, the party would have gone on for two days after a win like that.

Alex (Bayern): The restart is still a mistake, in my opinion. Many of us haven’t really seen much of it at all. Our focus has often been on other things such as helping out in the community, even at weekends.

Franz (Bayern): For me, it’s an undignified spectacle. The sole purpose of the forced restart is the maintenance of a system which, with its completely obscene salaries, transfers and agents’ fees, has long since detached itself from the lives of those who attend matches.

Football is for people, not millions of euros. I absolutely reject ghost games. 

The break doesn't seem to have affected either Bayern or Dortmund, who have both won two out of two. How happy are you with how the season is progressing?

Pini: The second half the season is going really well – both with fans before corona and without fans since then. It’s annoying that we threw away so many points before the break, against Paderborn at home for instance. But generally speaking, I’m pretty satisfied with how things are going.

I’m sure we’d all be happy about winning the league but, to be honest, I’m not really emotionally connected to this season anymore. Of course we’d celebrate, but it could never be as emotional as being there in the stadium on the final day like in 2011 or 2012.

Or in 2002, when we were five points behind Leverkusen with three games to play and then we won 4-3 away at Hamburg and suddenly we were top going into the final day! The emotions are completely different.

Alex: The aim at Bayern is always the absolute maximum – but first we need to see whether all competitions can even be completed or not. But up until the coronavirus break, we were having a good season under Hansi Flick.

Franz: The performances before the coronavirus crisis have now been devalued by the restart. A title under these circumstances would be irrelevant.

Dortmund have only won three of the last 15 Bundesliga games against Bayern, and there have been some humiliating defeats recently. Do Bayern have a psychological advantage?

Pini: I think it’s a mixture of fear and resignation. Especially in Munich. It’s as if the players think they don’t have a chance, and the motivation’s missing. Even last year in Munich, when we’d beaten them at home earlier in the year, they had a completely different approach and were so confident.

It’s different at home in our own stadium though, with our own fans – well, usually. Last season, we were brilliant with Paco Alcacer up front. Hopefully Erling Haaland will have a similar effect. 

Alex: For whatever reason, the Dortmund players seem to lose every ounce of courage at the very sight of our team. Even when they’re having a good period. I really can’t explain it …

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Which opposition player do you respect the most?

Pini: We still remember Robert Lewandowski from his time with us. The man is just a machine. But we're good up front as well, we can definitely score goals.

Alex: I really enjoy watching Marco Reus. At least, I would if he wasn’t injured so often …

Bayern vs. Dortmund is known as the German "Klassiker” and seen as one of Germany's biggest derbies. How do you see it?

Pini: It might be a derby for some TV fans but for match-goers and locals, Schalke are our biggest rivals. Of course, there’s a sporting rivalry with Bayern, which reached its peak with the Champions League final in London in 2013, but they’re not Schalke.

In fact, a lot of Dortmund fans were very happy with the Bayern fans' protest in Hoffenheim recently. They earned a lot respect among our fans.

Alex: Football-wise, Dortmund have been our number one rivals for years now, so of course that brings some rivalry with it. But our derby is against the Turnsportverein [TSV 1860 Munich]. If they ever play us again, that is …

Franz: Since Dortmund’s last two titles, they’ve been presented in the media as the new enemy. There is a normal rivalry with them, that was already the case before their titles, but no-one would ever call it a derby! Certainly nothing compared to the rivalry with the Blues, for both clubs …

What's your favorite memory of a game between Bayern and Dortmund?

Pini: The German Cup final in 2012. When we really battered them. That was brilliant. A lot of things came together that day. We'd beaten them a couple of times in the build-up, and then winning 5-2 to lift the cup, it was the perfect game.

Alex: Wembley. Robben. Need I say more?

Prediction for Tuesday night?

Pini: Dortmund 2-1 Bayern

Alex: The expectation at Bayern is always to win. Also against Dortmund.