Has Dortmund-Bayern lost luster in Bundesliga title race? - ESPN

So who saw Saarbrücken becoming a serious part of the narrative this week? Bayern Munich's Blamage (a great German word for «disgrace») in the DFB-Pokal has only added another layer of interest and complexity to assessing how Saturday's showpiece event might go.

Internationally, the Borussia Dortmund-vs.-Bayern "Klassiker," as it has come to be known, is an important selling point for the Bundesliga. Recent history means there's always a temptation to frame it as the game to decide… well, everything, the assumption being Dortmund must always prevail if Bayern are to be denied the Meisterschale.

The events of April 1 in Munich gave lie to that. Bayern ran out comfortable 4-2 winners in Thomas Tuchel's first match in charge to reclaim top spot, yet Dortmund still went into the final week of the season holding all the cards. It wasn't losing to the Rekordmeister in a direct duel that ultimately cost the Schwarzgelben the title.

This season is complicated for both sides by the presence at the summit of Bayer Leverkusen, whose aesthetically pleasing style under former Bayern choreographer Xabi Alonso has everyone purring. They were good value for the 2-2 draw they achieved in Munich in September.

— Dortmund vs. Bayern: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+
— Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

RB Leipzig — although, like Bayern out of the Pokal — have shown themselves to be a team that can take points off the other main protagonists and did just that against Bayern little more than a month ago.

In other words, the old notion that Dortmund alone have to stop Bayern, or forget the whole thing, is outdated. There is a lot more subtlety to this season's title fight.

BVB and Bayern go into Saturday's clash as