Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund: Starting lineup analysis

The Borussia Dortmund clash feels like a match that will define this season, a loss here, and the possibility of a trophy-less season looks very real. A rare ‘do-or-die’ game in the league against the team that has challenged Bayern Munich the most in the last decade. It doesn’t get bigger than this. Here’s a quick rundown of the starting lineup chosen by Niko Kovac:

THE LINEUPS:

First impressions:

• Bayern rotates 5 from the Heidenheim game. Kovac has decided to, unsurprisingly, go more defensive in this starting eleven than the one picked out against Heidenheim. Javi Martinez instead of James Rodriguez suggests that Kovac wants Bayern to have a more defensively compact midfield trio.
• Bayern has the best possible defensive back line available today with Manuel Neuer in goal, great news.
• Thomas Muller behind Lewandowski as a Second Striker with lightning fast Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry on the wings, the best offensive combination?
• Marco Reus is back in the Dortmund line-up instead of Paco Alcacer who scored two goals in their last match against Wolfsburg. Hence, Dortmund is playing with no natural ‘number 9.’
• We predicted this lineup before the game.