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Received wisdom states that good things come in threes – and there is certainly the possibility of a triple whammy for FC Bayern München on Saturday as they host Borussia Dortmund in the next installment of Der Klassiker on Matchday 31.
Currently nine points ahead of their rivals and with just 12 left for the taking, the Bavarians could secure a record-extending 10th consecutive Bundesliga Meisterschale with victory at the Allianz Arena.
Were that to happen, the customary on-pitch celebratory beer showers would doubtless taste that much sweeter for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, given that it would mark the first time in league history that the title would be decided in a Klassiker meeting.
Completing the trifecta for the defending champions – very much the dollop of sweet mustard on top of the Weißwurst – is the possibility of doing so on home turf; Bayern have won 16 Bundesliga titles since the turn of the century but only one of those – the 2019 edition – was sealed in front of their own fans.
Sub-plots will abound too at the Allianz Arena, as Dortmund bid to postpone any silverware being handed out at full time. Key to their hopes of doing so will be Erling Haaland, whose 18 league goals in just 20 appearances in 2021/22 set him up as the heir apparent to Robert Lewandowski’s as the Bundesliga’s apex predator.
Lewandowski himself is in no hurry to hand over that mantle just yet, however, especially as his own 41-goal single-season record set last year remains within reach. The Polish marksman, who has tickled nets 32 times in the Bundesliga already this term, has 22 goals in 15 league matches against his former club, an ominous return going into such a decisive clash.
An extra layer of intrigue is added by Bayern centre-back Niklas Süle going up against his soon-to-be teammates, the Germany international having agreed to swap the red of Munich for the yellow and black of Dortmund this summer.
Can BVB spoil the party and end a run of six straight defeats against Bayern? Perhaps, but the only certainty is that drama, nerve-jangling tension and highquality football will be on offer across the 90 minutes.
The stakes are similarly high elsewhere on the Bundesliga calendar this weekend. Felix Magath and Hertha BSC Berlin take on VfB Stuttgart in the German capital for a not-to-be-missed relegation six-pointer on Sunday, the teams separated by just a single rung as they hover above the bottom two.
Salvation likely awaits the winner, although they will be looking anxiously over their shoulders at the score at 1. FC Köln, who lock horns with 17th-placed Arminia Bielefeld earlier in the weekend.
Bottom club Greuther Fürth also go up against a tough European candidate in Bayer Leverkusen: defeat would send the Clover Leaves straight back down to Bundesliga 2. Bayer, meanwhile, are determined to return to winning ways after relinquishing third place in a narrow defeat by RB Leipzig last time out.
Domenico Tedesco’s in-form team have the tricky task of lining up against Union Berlin, just three days after the sides met in the DFB Cup semi-finals, with Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt waiting in the wings to pounce on any slip-ups in the standings as they go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon.
Neither Bochum nor Augsburg will want any more setbacks in their quests for safety, a backdrop that should see sparks fly when they tussle for some muchneeded breathing space above the bottom three.
The same goes for Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach in their fixtures against Mainz and Freiburg respectively, the latter duo still harbouring ambitions of European football next season.
