With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund set to clash in a mammoth Bundesliga encounter over the weekend, BVB's Mario Gotze has explained the importance of securing maximum points in the German Clasico.
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The two giants of Bundesliga football occupy first and second spots on the table ahead of Der Klassiker at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening.
Bayern are currently two points behind Dortmund, so they will be well aware that a victory will see them move to the summit of the standings and put them in a favourable position to clinch a 19th league title.
Gotze, who won the Bundesliga with BVB in 2011 and 2012, before controversially publicising his decision to join arch-rivals Bayern prior to the 2013 UEFA Champions League final, has now had his say on coming up against his former team this weekend.
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"Winning these games is all part of it. That's definitely been a feature this season and of how the season has developed and the quality we bring," he told Bundesliga.com
"Nevertheless, we're aware that it'll be a very different game in Munich with how things stand in the table right now. It will be special and definitely interesting. We know that we can be dangerous at all times but it'll still be a very hard game for us.
"We know it'll be difficult when we face them, especially in Munich. To be at the top of our game for 95 minutes and give 100% will be a very demanding challenge.
"They have a lot of quality. There were times in recent years where we weren't in the best shape going into games and that was reflected in the results, especially last season.
"Personally, I do see it as an important game but it won't be a decisive one. There are seven important games to go. The right result can give us a push but there are seven games left and you really saw how hard it was in the last two games where we got the three points in the last minute."
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Gotze has made 27 appearances across all competitions for BVB so far this season, finding the back of the net on four occasions and registering a further six assists.Which side are you backing to clinch the 2018/19 Bundesliga title, Bayern or Dortmund? Have your say in the comments section below.
