With a quarter of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season in the books, Borussia Dortmund trail Bayern Munich by just a single point in the table.
Both sides have won seven of their opening nine games this term, with Bayern picking up an extra draw along the way.
The Bavarians have won each of the past nine Bundesliga titles, while BVB have finished as runners-up on five occasions during that period.
With only a point separating the teams at the moment, the question on everyone’s lips is: can Borussia Dortmund finally beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title?
Dortmund were the last club to prevent Bayern from clinching the title, triumphing in back-to-back seasons in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
Since then, however, they have struggled to compete with the Bavarians and have fallen short time and again over the past decade.
Led by Marco Rose, Dortmund appear to be heading in the right direction again. The ex-Borussia Monchengladbach manager has transformed the team this year.
Of course, Erling Haaland is BVB’s leading light. The Norwegian sensation already has 13 goals and four assists to his name this term, despite missing a number of matches through injury.
But let’s not forget that Haaland isn’t the only youngster making a big impression at Signal Iduna Park right now.
18-year-old Jude Bellingham has bagged three goals and six assists this season, proving that he’s got what it takes to become one of the best box-to-box midfielders on the planet.
Meanwhile, the up-and-coming duo of Giovanni Reyna and Donyell Malen are looking like the real deal, too.
With experienced stars like Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Axel Witsel adding some much-needed know-how to the squad, its feels like BVB could achieve something special this season.
It goes without saying, of course, that Bayern Munich will be extremely difficult to stop – especially with Robert Lewandowski continuing to score goals at a freakish rate.
After all, nobody has been able to get anywhere near the Bavarians over the past decade. It wouldn’t be a shock if they clinched a tenth straight title, would it?
But if Rose can continue to stamp his mark on the current crop of Dortmund stars, BVB could end up pushing Bayern all the way this term.