Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich: Der Klassiker Match Facts Analysis
Ahead of Der Klassiker, bundesliga.com takes a look at how Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich compare numbers-wise, courtesy of Bundesliga Match Facts powered by AWS...
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Bayern sit at the top of the Bundesliga in terms of Expected Goals. With and xG of 27.5 and a league-leading 34 goals to show for their efforts, the Bavarians have been both creative and ruthless in front of goal. Two players have been particularly impressive in the side, too: Harry Kane and Leroy Sané. Kane is second in the league with 8.6 Expected Goals, and Sané is fifth with 5.7, meaning Bayern are the only club with two players in the top five of the xG table.
Meanwhile, Dortmund have not yet been able to craft as much of a goal threat as their title-rivals this season. With and xG of 17.6, Dortmund rank fourth, with Julian Brandt (2.4) their most dangerous player.
In terms of shot efficiency, too, Bayern (+6.5) are second behind just RB Leipzig (+8.9) across the division. In comparison, Dortmund have scored 2.4 goals more than their xGoals value and are seventh on the list. As with Expected Goals, three Bayern players again make it into the top 10: Kane (+3.4), Sané (+2.3) and Mathys Tel (+2.2). For context, no other club has more than one player in the top 10. Brandt is again Dortmund's most potent player with his four goals earning him a shot efficiency of +1.6.
Watch: Harry Kane: Dream Goal & Next Milestone
Bayern's Roadrunner, Alphonso Davies, is the joint-fastest player in the league going into Matchday 10, having clocked a top speed of 22.4 mph/ 36.04 km/h. Eren Dinkci, Silas and Jeremie Frimpong share top spot with the Canada international, while Sané is the next fastest (22.2 mph/ 35.40 km/h) in the top-flight this term.
The fastest Dortmund player, meanwhile, is captain Emre Can (21.8 mph/ 35.08 km/h), followed by Donyell Malen (21.6 mph/ 34.76 km/h) and Felix Nmecha (21.5 mph/ 34.6 km/h). Dayot Upamecano (21.8 mph/ 35.08 km/h) and Kingsley Coman (21.7 mph/ 34.92 km/h) are two more Bayern players who appear to have lightning in their boots.
Watch: Der Klassiker - A Sizzling Shootout
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Sané features once again, this time as the player from both camps who has been pressed by opponents the most. The Germany international has been pressed 230 times in the current Bundesliga season, with only Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz (247) put under more scrutiny at this stage of the campaign. The top 10 also includes Coman (172), while Malen (134) ranks highest (14th) in black and yellow.
When it comes to playing under pressure, Dortmund's former Bayern defender, Niklas Süle, is the standout. Süle has come out on top 77 percent of the times he's been pressed by the opposition, which is five per cent higher than Bayern's coolest player, Joshua Kimmich. With Kimmich suspended for the Klassiker, Konrad Laimer (68 percent), will be looking to add equal measures of steel and calmness to the Bayern midfield.
BVB coach Edin Terzić sets his team up perfectly for counter-pressing and running down their opponents, so it is little wonder that Dortmund have the edge over Bayern when it comes to time spent winning the ball back. On average, Dortmund allow their opponents just 12.5 seconds on the ball before regaining possession - the best value in the Bundesliga. But Bayern don't shy away from hard work, either. With around 13.6 seconds between losing the ball and then getting it back, the record champions rank second.
Dortmund are also slightly ahead in the new Bundesliga Match Fact: Shot Speed. Malen fired the fourth-hardest shot in the Bundesliga this season against Heidenheim, letting fly at 76.4 mph. The hardest Bayern shot has come from the boot of Noussair Mazraoui (75.9 mph).
When Bayern players do put some welly into it, they tend to be more accurate than Dortmund. Both Malen's and Mazraoui's shots were saved, while it's Coman who has scored with the hardest shot this season (75 mph) and both Kane (72.7 mph) and Tel (70.4 mph) have found the back of the net with rockets. Niclas Füllkrug's effort against Hoffenheim on Matchday 6 - his first for the club - is Dortmund's highest Shot Speed (69 mph) which resulted in a goal.
Watch: New Bundesliga Match Fact - Shot Speed
So far this season, Bayern's players have been excellent with the ball. With a pass performance of +15.5, Coman is Bayern's best passer, followed by Sané and Davies who have each registered a score of +9.6. Compare that with Dortmund's best at finding teammates - Nico Schlotterbeck with a value of +5.3 - and you can see a marked difference between the two sides.
There's no two ways about it, BVB custodian Gregor Kobel is one of the best keepers in the league this season. The stats back up his argument, with Kobel's goalkeeper efficiency rating of +2.4 the fourth best in the Bundesliga. With 26.6 expected saves, he has made 29 in total thus far. Bayern's Manuel Neuer is, of course, even further down the list due to injury, but in his first match back against Darmstadt, the Germany No. 1 was expected to make 3.4 saves, but ended up saving all four shots he faced, and kept a clean sheet in the process.
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Skills
Of the 40 outstanding BMF skills in the Bundesliga so far this season, nine came from Bayern players, and only one from Dortmund. Sané is the only player in the league with three, highlighting once again just how good a start to the season he is having.
Sané and Davies have the skill "Sprinter" and are in the top 10 for players when it comes to high-speed sprints, while the BMF skill "Finisher" was earned by three Bayern players - Sané, Kane and Tel - for their clinical work in front of goal. Sané collects his third skill in the creation of chances and, alongside teammate Coman, he has the title of "Initiator".
The only Dortmund player with a special skill is centre-back Mats Hummels, who has earned the skill "Ball Conqueror" thanks to his immovable performances at the back. Davies and Kim Min-jae are also particularly good at winning tackles and intercepting passes, which is why they also have the same skill.
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