It is still Der Klassiker - but not quite as we know it . The fierce rivalry between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund has dominated German football for much of the past decade , reaching its crescendo when the two titans met in the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley . For a while , Der Klassiker represented the pinnacle of European football . Briefly , it carried as much relevance on the continental stage as El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid - maybe even more . Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund looks dejected after Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich scored an equaliser during Der Klassiker between the teams at the Allianz Arena in November . Arjen Robben eventually grabbed the winner five minutes from time as Bayern defeated Dortmund 2-1 . Former Dortmund striker Lewandowski ( left ) battles with defender Mats Hummels during the recent Bundesliga clash at the Allianz Arena . But as these two prepare to meet in front of an 80,000 audience at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday evening , some of that lustre has been lost . There is something unsettling about Bayern and Borussia being separated by nine Bundesliga places and a whopping 31 points . It just does n't seem right , they should be No 1 and No 2 . It feels very weird that nothing is riding on the outcome , at least so far as the title race is concerned . A Bayern win will confirm what we already know , that they will be champions for a third successive season . Bayern Munich 's Arjen Robben scores past Borussia Dortmund 's goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller during the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley Stadium . Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at Wembley to win the Champions League - a period in which Der Klassiker was one of the highlights on the European football calendar . A Dortmund win would make a little dent in Bayern 's 10-point lead but is n't likely to derail their serene progress to retaining the shield . It would , however , boost their hopes of qualifying for Europe . Therein lies the problem - these two have experienced contrasting seasons in the extreme , to the point where the transferable Klassiker tag could soon be applied to another fixture - perhaps Bayern vs Wolfsburg or Bayern vs Monchengladbach . Having been rock-bottom at the beginning of February , Jurgen Klopp 's Dortmund embarked on a seven-match unbeaten run , winning five , and could salvage a modicum of respectability from a disastrous season - and perhaps offset a summer exodus of their best players - by finishing in the top six . Mario Gotze celebrates scoring for Borussia Dortmund with Robert Lewandowski in their 1-0 win at Bayern Munich in November 2011 - both have since joined Bayern as Dortmund have slipped down the table . For Klopp , whose reputation around Europe has taken a battering this season , insists that Der Klassiker is still as significant as ever . 'We 've got to try to beat Bayern and where that can take us in the league is secondary , ' he said . Gotze refuses to celebrate after scoring for Bayern Munich against Dortmund in November 2013 . 'Although we 're 10th , and although there 's a huge points gap between us , and although a lot is different compared to the past , it 's still a Borussia Dortmund home game . ' I do n't recall us gifting any of these games in the past . Gladbach have shown us how it 's done . Wolfsburg have also beaten them , but it 's not all that easy . ' Dortmund do have positive recent memories in this fixture to draw upon . They won 3-0 at the Allianz Arena at the tail end of last season , for example , though it came far too late to alter the destination of the title , which Bayern won by 19 points . They completed the double over their rivals en route to winning their back-to-back Bundesligas in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 . But those great moments seem a long time ago now and the fixture is harder to hype without so much riding on it . Another source of optimism for Klopp is Bayern 's mounting injury list , with winger Franck Ribery , who has a recurring ankle problem , joining Arjen Robben and David Alaba on the sidelines . Not that club chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was panicking : 'We can not change it and it would be a mistake if Bayern started to lament now . ' Quite understandable . Another thrilling climax to the season awaits for Pep Guardiola and his team - they are coasting to a 25th championship , travel to Bayer Leverkusen in the last eight of the DFB-Pokal and Porto in the same stage of the Champions League . Another Treble looms for this all-conquering side . And , for a change , Dortmund are in no position to affect that .
Borussia Dortmund host Der Klassiker on Saturday at Signal Iduna Park . Teams contest Germany 's biggest domestic game , Bayern Munich . But little is riding on it with Der Klassiker cruising to Bundesliga title . Dortmund hope home win will keep them in shout of Europa League spot .