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The 2019/20 season in German football officially kicks off today with the traditional curtain-raiser at the Signal Iduna Park as Borussia Dortmund play eternal rivals Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup.
In the sixth meeting between the sides since 2010, injuries in both camps have dampened the atmosphere. Julian Brandt and Roman Burki have been ruled out for the hosts, whereas new signing Thorgan Hazard alongside Dan-Axel Zagadou is doubtful.
As for the visitors, Serge Gnabry, Lucas Hernandez and Javi Martinez are all sidelined, whereas Kingsley Coman remains doubtful with an ankle strain.
Also, this is the first time since 2010 where the Bavarians play a German Supercup without Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery, both of whom left the club at the end of last season.
Rest assured, this Der Klassiker promises to be unpredictable yet special. Here's how the teams would line-up in a combined XI:
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
Gone are the days when Germany's talismanic sweeper-keeper ruled the roost. Neuer's 'best in the world' tag is long lost, owing to lengthy and recurring injury spells he has been condemned to in recent years. Now it's the era of the Alisson's and the Andersons.
However, the 33-year old has already embarked on the road to redemption - time and again he showed flashes of his former, brilliant self last season when he pulled off save after save to help Bayern register the best defensive record in the league bar RB Leipzig.
Neuer's reflexes to push Yussuf Poulsen's header against the crossbar and the fantastic block to deny Emil Forsberg in a one-on-one situation during the German Cup final earlier this year are some of his enduring memories from last season. It also serves a timely reminder that he ain't done yet.
If he's able to pull off something identical here, Dortmund will have a hard time finding the back of the net.
Right-back: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Kimmich's versatility makes it easy to forget he's still only 24 - such is the precocious talent we're dealing with here.
Barring the goalkeeper and the center-forward, the German has been deployed in every other position in his short career so far and has excelled in each of them.
But it's the right-back position where he's shone the most with 26 assists in Bundesliga in the last two seasons - more than anyone else in that period.
Center-back: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund)
The Swiss star has proved to be a palliative to Dortmund's long-standing defensive woes since arriving at the Signal Iduna Park in 2018.
Strong, confident aggressive and athletically gifted, Akanji has brought a sense of robustness to the backline which turned Der BVB into a mean outfit last season.
He averaged 3.5 clearances a game and also maintained a 93% passing accuracy. Akanji's partnership with the homecoming Hummels can beef up the defense further.
Center-back: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Mats Hummels may have had a fine season last time, but the meteoric rise of Pavard is just too hard to ignore. The young Frenchman carried on from his 2018 World Cup heroics for a brilliant campaign personally with Stuttgart, which eventually landed him a move to Bayern.
His ability to play as a center-back, right-back, and even a defensive midfielder is set to offer great tactical flexibility to Kovac this season, and as we witnessed in Russia, is capable of pulling a rabbit out of his hat with wonderful strikes.
Left-back: David Alaba (Bayern Munich)
Now in his ninth season with the Bavarian side, Alaba has long established himself as one of the best left-backs in the world.
He's a strong creative force down the left-wing while his ability from the Deadball is second to none. The Austrian scored and assisted thrice each last season, a stark reminder of his attacking prowess.
Defensive midfielder: Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund)
Witsel's impact last season cannot be more overstated. The midfield metronome proved to be a fine nexus between the defence and the attack, besides forming a great partnership with Thomas Delaney.
However, there was more to his game than just that - Witsel was the midfield enforcer who kept winning the ball back and also acted as a launchpad for his side's attack.
He was the key during transitional periods too. His technical abilities and tactical brilliance worked wonders last season, something he will be looking to replicate this season too.
Attacking midfielder: Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
The Dortmund skipper saw his injury layoff subside significantly last season. This liberated him to an extent that he posted some of his best figures till date with 21 goals and 13 assists, and helped Dortmund mount a wonderful title challenge.
He's a Der Klassiker veteran, now preparing for his 26th meeting with Bayern. His experience and technical nous will play a big part in the clash.
Left-winger: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Bundesliga's breakout star of the year last season with 17 assists and 12 goals, Sancho must prove this time around that he's a star in the making by emulating those heroics.
He was rendered null and void in both games against the Bavarians last season, so has a point to prove that he can produce the goods against the bigwigs too.
Right-winger: Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
Muller's goalscoring output may have declined in the recent years, but remains crucial to the side with his ability to put things on the plate for the likes of Lewandowski.
He assisted 12 times in the league last season, behind only Kimmich in the squad. And with no Robben and Ribery to contend with hereafter, his importance to the side is set to amplify further.
Striker: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
The Polish hitman has turned his former employers into a beloved punching bag, striking 16 times against Dortmund since the switch in 2014.
He is also the top scorer in the competition with five strikes, including the famous hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt last year.
If anything, omens suggest Lewandowski has his name written all over this edition of the German supercup too.
Striker: Paco Alcacer (Borussia Dortmund)
Alcacer proved to be a bang for the buck last season when he made prolific impacts from the bench, netting 19 times overall.
He'd also particularly have fond memories of playing Bayern at the Signal Iduna Park as he netted the winner in the 3-2 thriller last October. After a fine pre-season this summer, he'd be raring to add to his tally.
