MUNICH • Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller is expecting sparks to fly in tomorrow's top-of-the-table closed-doors clash at Borussia Dortmund, which could help settle this season's Bundesliga title race.
The German international scored in their 5-2 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday to restore a four-point gap over second-placed Dortmund, who came away with a 2-0 win at Wolfsburg earlier.
Alphonso Davies, Leon Goretzka and Robert Lewandowski also got on the scoresheet, while Martin Hinteregger's brace gave the scoreline some respectability.
But the Eintracht defender blotted his copybook by putting through his own net as Frankfurt slumped to their fifth league defeat in a row.
Bayern showed why they remain favourites to land their eight Bundesliga title on the spin, but form does not always carry over into "Der Klassiker", which is German football's showpiece fixture, with Dortmund prevailing 3-2 when they met last season at the Westfalenstadion.
There will, however, be one crucial factor missing tomorrow - the 12th man.
Normally, 82,000 fans would be roaring on the hosts, with the 25-000 capacity "Yellow Wall", European football's largest grandstand, willing them against their rivals.
But the stadium will be empty for the visit of Bayern due to the strict health and safety measures imposed by the German league as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The absence of a customary hostile atmosphere will be a strange one for Muller, but he insisted it will not distract him or his teammates from the task at hand. A victory for the Bavarian giants would give them a seven-point lead with six games to go.
"We don't really know how to get into these games without spectators, but I expect us, and myself, to go to our limits anyway," he told Sky Sports. "Of course, we'd like to have the fans there. There's nothing more beautiful than playing these matches against Dortmund at the Allianz Arena or in Dortmund.
"But that's our job, and we're going to show that, even without spectators, we're capable of playing football with passion."
Bayern crushed Dortmund 4-0 when they met at the Allianz Arena in November.
But Dortmund have since signed Norwegian sensation Erling Braut Haaland, who has scored 10 goals in as many league games.
Likewise, Bayern's star striker Robert Lewandowski will be looking to add to his phenomenal tally of 27 goals in 23 league games against his former club.
His coach Hansi Flick feels both sides will hold nothing back in their bid for supremacy.
He added: "When the top team plays against the second one, well if it's not a top match, then I don't know what is."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
