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Bayern bashes Dortmund, reclaims first place in Thomas Tuchel’s debut

Nicholas Mendola
·3 min read

Managerial starts don’t get much better than Thomas Tuchel’s debut as Bayern Munich boss against former club and Bundesliga title rival Borussia Dortmund.

Thomas Muller scored twice as Bayern ran up a four-goal lead at home and outlasted a few defensive lapses in a 4-2 win that sent the Bavarians back atop the Bundesliga.

BVB is in pursuit of its first Meisterschale since the 2011-12 season, its eighth in history, and opened Saturday with a one point lead on its Klassiker rivals. That’s now a two-point deficit, and Bayern is now in the catbird seat in its bid to claimed an 11th-consecutive league crown.

Bayern still has to contend with the UEFA Champions League’s affecting their domestic chase — Man City’s up next in the quarterfinals — and there’s a German Cup quarterfinal against Freiburg on Tuesday, but Saturday was a huge signal to the rest of the Bundesliga.

Things might not be perfect in Bavaria, but there’s a new boss in town with a 1-0 record where it matters most: against Dortmund and atop the table.

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Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund live score: 4-2

Bayern goals: Kobel o.g. (13′), Muller 2 (18′, 24′), Coman (50′)

BVB goals: Can (pen, 73′), Malen (90′)

Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund player ratings: Stars of the Show

Thomas Muller

Kingsley Coman

Joshua Kimmich

Leroy Sane

Raphael Guerreiro

Bayern Munich vs Dortmund player ratings
fotmob.com

Kingsley Coman goal video: Bayern piles it on 4-0

How to watch Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 12:30pm ET, Saturday
TV Channel/Online: Stream via ESPN+
Updates: Scoreboard, stats, more at Scoreboard.nbcsports.com

Key storylines & star players

Bayern’s all about controlling the game, and it does so with aplomb thanks to Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. The side has pace for days and has also gotten monstrous amounts of creativity from Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala. There’s no Robert Lewandowski, but Bayern spreads the goals around through Musiala (11), Choupo-Moting (10), and Serge Gnabry (9). Manuel Neuer’s out, but the club’s quickly filled his space with Yann Sommer.

Dortmund slipped itself a couple of matches ago, a 2-2 draw in the Revierderby, but it bounded back with a 6-1 demolition of Koln. Bundesliga assist hero Raphael Guerreiro scored in that game while Sebastien Haller and Marco Reus both posted braces. Reus remains the heart of the club and has been a boon for Edin Terzic. A wild card is USMNT star Giovanni Reyna, who has posted terrific advanced stats in Bundesliga play but is still mainly just getting 15-20 minute cameos if he plays at all for BVB.

Bayern Munich team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Lucas Hernandez (ACL), Manuel Neuer (leg), Paul Wanner (adductor), Mathys Tel (muscular), Arijon Ibrahimovic (virus).

Borussia Dortmund team news, injuries, lineup options

OUT: Mateu Morey (fitness), Thomas Meunier (back), Giovanni Reyna (illness).

Bayern bashes Dortmund, reclaims first place in Thomas Tuchel’s debut originally appeared on NBCSports.com