The first national title of the season is ready to be claimed: on Wednesday evening, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out for the German Super Cup. The game between the champions and runners-up will be held in Munich and will kick off at 20:30 CET.

"It is "only" the Super Cup, but we are playing against Bayern, and prestige is always on the line when we play. That's why we won't allow ourselves to relax for a second," said Dortmund captain Marco Reus the day before the match. "We want to play well and take the first title if we can," said goalie Roman Bürki last week.

BVB had made a good start to the new season with two wins – in the cup against Duisburg and in the first Bundesliga match against Mönchengladbach – before the defeat in Augsburg last Saturday brought them back down to earth. "With regard to the last game, it is good for us that we have the opportunity to get back into the groove again just four days later and to send a signal that we are a force to be reckoned with," said Reus, looking ahead to the Super Cup. "In Munich, we have a great chance to get a lot of confidence back and to go into the next game feeling positive." Bürki is already looking ahead to the coming weeks: "We have a game every three days. It is an important game for everyone to get into the right rhythm that we have to deal with now."

For the seventh time in the last 11 years, the Super Cup will be a battle between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. BVB have won three times during this period, most recently in Dortmund last year. In the Bundesliga, however, BVB have been unable to take any points back from Munich: the results were 0-4, 0-5 and 0-6 defeats. "We don't need to talk about the last results. We don't want to do that again," said Reus. "We need to have different body language, be more combative, play with more emotion, and then stay calm during periods when we are pushed back. We have to trust in ourselves and with the ball up front.

Bayern Munich also lost this weekend (away at Hoffenheim) and had started the Bundesliga season with a win against FC Schalke 04. Between those two matches, the Champions League winners also won the European Super Cup against Sevilla. "They are very, very good. If you win the Champions League, especially in the way they did, it's impressive. We are playing against the best team in Europe. It's a good game to see where we stand," said Reus. 

"I think both sides will put a strong team out. There's a title at stake, and there has been a lot of prestige on the game for decades. No one wants to leave the pitch as a loser, so we will do everything we can to win tomorrow," said the captain, clearly stating his goals.
Christina Reinke