Roy Makaay Questions the Significance of Bayern vs Dortmund

The build-up to Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund rarely lacks noise, but this time a former Bundesliga sharpshooter has added a pointed twist.

Roy Makaay, who spent four prolific seasons at Bayern between 2003 and 2007, has downplayed the status of the German Klassiker altogether. Speaking to Sport1, the Dutchman joked that he “only knows one Klassiker” – the fierce Dutch showdown between Ajax and Feyenoord.

For Makaay, the Bayern–Dortmund rivalry simply did not carry the same weight during his own Bundesliga days. Back then, Dortmund were stuck in mid-table, occasionally flirting with trouble rather than titles. Bayern’s real battles came from elsewhere.

“When I was playing, it wasn’t as big as it has become now. Our main rivals were Schalke, Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen,” he said.

That was no exaggeration. Schalke twice pushed Bayern agonisingly close, in 2001 and again in 2005. Werder Bremen, under Thomas Schaaf, stormed to the championship in 2004 and regularly turned the title race into a genuine contest. Dortmund, financially and sportingly adrift, watched most of it from a distance.

Those days are gone. The landscape has shifted. And this weekend in Munich, the table says it all.

Both Bayern and Dortmund sit at the top of the Bundesliga, the champions ahead only on goal difference. One slip, one moment of carelessness, could flip the standings and the narrative.

Fuss Backs Dortmund’s Steel

Into this charged setting steps a different voice with a very different view of Dortmund’s current status.

Sky commentator Wolf-Christoph Fuss sees a team that can stand toe-to-toe with Bayern on Saturday night. For him, the foundation is clear: defensive steel under Niko Kovac.

“Defensively, they are remarkably solid under Niko Kovac,” Fuss told ntv, highlighting the structure and discipline that have marked Dortmund’s season so far.

He expects Bayern to be forced into a grind, not a gala.

“Bayern will have to work hard against a very compact defence. They will have to live with the fact that every mistake could be punished.”

That is the crux of Dortmund’s approach under Kovac. Fuss credits the coach with imposing a clear framework that the squad trusts.

Kovac, he says, has “managed to establish clear guidelines in Dortmund that everyone knows they can rely on. Those are things that give you confidence. Even in Munich.”

For a club often accused in recent years of fragility in big moments, that word – confidence – matters. Especially when the opponent is Bayern, in their own stadium, with the table so finely balanced.

Karetsas Surprise in the Travelling Party

Kovac’s matchday squad offers another intriguing subplot.

According to Ruhr Nachrichten, attacking talent Konstantinos Karetsas has travelled with the team to Munich. The 18-year-old, who only recently suffered an ankle ligament injury in the Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin, was initially feared to be facing a longer lay-off. The diagnosis eased, the recovery followed, and now he is back in the frame earlier than expected.

The report states that Karetsas is among the 20-man group that made the trip south on Friday evening. A starting role at the Allianz Arena remains highly unlikely; the teenager is expected to begin on the bench. But his presence alone underlines both his progress and Dortmund’s desire to have as many attacking options as possible at their disposal.

There is more good news for Kovac. Defender Ramy Bensebaini, available again after serving a suspension for a red card, is set to return to the squad. So too goalkeeper Alexander Meyer, who has shaken off a flu-like infection. In a game where details matter, a deeper bench can tilt the balance.

Pulisic’s Milan Chapter Gathers Pace

Away from the immediate drama of the Klassiker, a familiar Dortmund alumnus has taken another major step in his career.

Christian Pulisic, once the bright young face of Dortmund’s attack, has signed a long-term contract extension with AC Milan. The Italian giants confirmed, on the eve of the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, that the US international has committed to the club until June 2031.

Milan underlined his impact with the numbers: 44 goals in 141 appearances for the Rossoneri. In their statement, they described him as a “key player” and made it clear he sits at the heart of their future plans.

Pulisic left Dortmund in 2019 for Chelsea, then moved to Milan in July 2023. Since arriving at San Siro, he has grown into a central figure in their attack, his output and influence steadily climbing. For Dortmund supporters, it is another reminder of how many careers have launched or accelerated in black and yellow before flourishing on Europe’s biggest stages.

Klassiker With a Different Edge

So the stage is set.

Makaay may insist he only recognises one true Klassiker, shaped by his own memories of Ajax vs Feyenoord and a very different Bundesliga era. But in Munich this weekend, the stakes are unmistakable.

Bayern, still the benchmark, lead only on goal difference. Dortmund, more compact and disciplined under Kovac, travel with a reinforced squad, a young wildcard in Karetsas, and the belief that every Bayern mistake can be turned into a weapon.

The question now is not whether this fixture has grown into a Klassiker.

It is whether Dortmund are finally ready to treat it like one – and play as if the title race truly belongs to them.