Borussia Dortmund head into the weekend's Bundesliga Klassiker against Bayern Munich carrying genuine momentum, though Tuesday's DFB-Pokal win over Werder Bremen was far from straightforward. The BVB led 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park before Bremen fought back to level, with Niclas Füllkrug scoring twice against his former club. Marcel Sabitzer's late goal secured a 3-2 victory and kept Dortmund's cup ambitions alive, but the manner of the comeback rattled coach Niko Kovac, who used his post-match platform to publicly criticise referee Robert Schröder over a penalty award he considered unjust.

Kovac has carried that frustration into the build-up to Saturday's trip to the Allianz Arena, calling on both the on-field referee and VAR to perform at their highest level. The appointment of Tobias Stieler as match official, after Daniel Siebert withdrew with a calf injury, has added another layer of scrutiny given Stieler's disputed decisions in recent weeks.

On the squad front, there is cautious optimism around 18-year-old attacker Anastasios Karetsas, who returned to partial training on Thursday following a foot injury and could be available if he comes through Friday's session without setback. The remaining squad members were given a clean bill of health after the cup exertions.

In the table, Dortmund sit second with 17 points from seven games, level with Bayern on points but behind on goal difference. A win in Munich would move them top and signal genuine title intent.