Bayern shed slump before Dortmund match

Berlin: Bayern Munich appears to have shaken off its customary early season slump just in time for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

The two rivals are level on points after eight Bundesliga matches, but surprisingly neither team is at the top of the standings going into der Klassiker. It's the first time that's happened since Wolfsburg won the title in 2009. Union Berlin is currently in first place.

Bayern's mini-slump a four-game run without a win before the international break saw the Bavarian powerhouse fall down the standings, but the team has rebounded with a 4-0 rout of Bayern Leverkusen followed by a 5-0 victory over Czech champion Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.

We shouldn't get carried away, Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka said. Still, we're on the right path. The former Schalke player promised Dortmund that it can expect a highly motivated opponent on Saturday. Dortmund also won in the Champions League, 4-1 at Sevilla, but was fortunate the home team missed several good chances. Dortmund lost its previous game, 3-2 at Cologne, and is already beginning to show some of the inconsistency that has plagued the team in previous seasons. That was its second league loss in three games.

After winning in Seville on Wednesday, Dortmund's players and coach Edin Terzic were eager to focus on the positives the good result in a hostile environment. But the glaring opportunities presented by Dortmund's defense are cause for concern.

Dortmund doesn't seem to have yet developed the ability to control games, evidenced by late collapses against Manchester City in the Champions League (two late goals to lose 2-1) or Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga (three late goals to lose 3-2). It happens again and again that we simply give away the games we control, Terzic said after the loss in Cologne, when again his team squandered a lead.