Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are preparing to square off in the Super Cup final for the fifth time since 2012 and the seventh in total. The clash between the two best German clubs of the modern era has now practically become the standard performance indicator for the coming season and is usually the first of four competitive clashes between the two giants each campaign.

"When Borussia Dortmund face Bayern Munich, it's an important match. The whole football world watches," said BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke as he discussed the match, which will be played at 20:30 CET on Saturday in front of a sell-out crowd. "There are no friendlies between rivals," he added.

There are different interpretations when it comes to the actual number of Super Cup matches that have been played. kicker magazine counts the unofficial match between the two sides in 2008, making Borussia Dortmund the record champions in this competition with six wins, one ahead of Bayern, who have five.

Saturday's match will be the 22nd (officially the 19th) edition of this competition and the tenth involving Borussia Dortmund. The Black & Yellows have provided plenty of entertainment in the Super Cup: as DFB cup winners they beat Bundesliga champions Bayern 4-3 at the Betzenberg in 1989; the Klopp era kicked off with a 2-1 Super Cup victory over Bayern in 2008; and Signal Iduna Park reverberated as the men from Munich were dispatched 2-0 and 4-2 in 2013 and 2014 repectively. The two other titles came against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1995 (a 1-0 win in Düsseldorf) and against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1996 (4-3 on penalties in Mannheim).

"We're playing at home. We want to produce a superb display!"

Borussia Dortmund are aiming to kick off the new season with a title – however small it might be – and give themselves a confidence boost. "We're in a good condition," said Mario Götze on his return from the training camp: "We're looking forward to this match, and let's not forget: we're playing at home. We want to produce a superb display!"
Boris Rupert