Guardiola: Dortmund will be a big test

Although Saturday’s ‘Der Klassiker’ means nothing in terms of silverware, Pep Guardiola has promised Bayern Munich will try 100 per cent.

Bayern will enter Friday’s clash with Borussia Dortmund 20 points clear of their opponents in the Bundesliga table and having already wrapped up the German league title.

But with semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League and DFB Pokal to come, Bayern’s coach Guardiola believes the test provided by ‘Der Klassiker’ – as the fixture is known – will be vital for his team.

“We will play as well as possible. We’re a good team but only if we give our all, Guardiola told Bayern’s website on Friday.

“We won’t stand a chance against (Dortmund) if we take our foot off the gas.”

Guardiola will not have Thiago, Xherdan Shaqiri, Diego Contento or Holger Badstuber available for the game against Dortmund in Munich but although Bayern played in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, the Spaniard insisted ‘the others are possibly tired but fit’.

The former Barcelona coach pledged the German champions will not underestimate Dortmund, who could be Bayern’s opponents in the DFB Pokal final, if both teams win their semi-finals in the coming week.

“Borussia Dortmund are Borussia Dortmund. It’s something special,” Guardiola said.

“They deserve our full attention. It will be a big test.”