Excitement Returns to German Title Race as Sabitzer Prepares for Big Moment

The title race in Germany has been a polite formality for too long. Seasons have drifted by without that knot in the stomach, without the sense that every weekend could tilt the whole campaign off its axis. Niko Kovac wants that feeling back. And he thinks “Der Klassiker” on Saturday night might just be the spark.

"At last, an exciting clash," he said before his team’s trip to Bayern Munich. Two sides, level on points, walking into the Allianz Arena to fight for top spot. Germany could get the kind of race it has been craving. Not just for a week, but all the way to 2027, if the gods of tension are finally in a generous mood.

The last three titles – two for Bayern, one for Leverkusen – never really made the pulse race. No real drama. No genuine jeopardy. The last time the league truly crackled, Dortmund collapsed against Mainz on the final day, throwing away the trophy in their own stadium. Out of that wreckage came a decision: inject more steel, more edge, more winning know-how.

From Bayern cast-off to Dortmund cornerstone?

Dortmund paid around €19 million to bring Sabitzer from Munich to the Ruhr. The logic was clear. He arrived with two Bundesliga titles from his time at Bayern and a reputation as a player who could handle big occasions.

"I want to do my part to help BVB achieve their goals and give them every reason to celebrate something special with their fans again as soon as possible," he declared at his unveiling. Inside the club, expectations were set even higher. Then-sporting director Sebastian Kehl called him a future “key pillar” of the side, a player whose personality would sharpen Dortmund in tight, tense matches.

Three years on, the picture is more complicated.

Sabitzer helped drag Dortmund all the way to the Champions League final, especially in the second half of the 2023/24 season. The night against Atlético in the quarter-final second leg still glows in the memory: a 4–2 win, Sabitzer involved in three goals, the kind of performance that justifies a transfer fee and a reputation in one sweep.

But the glow has faded. Recently, the 32-year-old has found himself more often on the bench than in the starting XI. His name has been whistled as much as cheered. A section of the fanbase has not been shy about its frustration, criticising his form with a sharpness that has cut deep.

Now the rumours are circling. His contract runs until 2027, but reports suggest Dortmund are already looking beyond him, leaning towards younger profiles with more room to grow. According to Sky, that is the direction of travel.

A last-second reminder

Sabitzer, though, refuses to fade quietly into the background.

On Tuesday night in the DFB-Pokal against Werder Bremen, Dortmund looked ready to sabotage themselves again. A 2–0 lead gone, extra time looming, tension rising. Then, with the very last kick, Sabitzer stepped up and bent in a direct free-kick that ripped through the anxiety and sent BVB into the round of 16.

It was a moment that felt bigger than a simple cup winner.

"He has an incredible foot, an incredible shot," said Nico Schlotterbeck afterwards. The defender didn’t stop there. "I think Sabi really deserved that after the last few weeks and months, when he's often been unfairly criticised."

Sabitzer soaked it all in. The roar, the release, the sense that Signal Iduna Park had wrapped itself around him again, even if only for a night. "This stadium thrives on emotion. Quite a few stories have been written here," he said, fully aware that this one might yet be a turning point.

Now, though, the scene shifts. No Yellow Wall, no black-and-yellow cauldron. Just the cold, unforgiving stage of the Allianz Arena – his old home, and a place where he never quite became the main act.

Man for the big moment?

On Saturday, Sabitzer is unlikely to start. The pattern of recent weeks points to another role as impact substitute. But dismissing him would be a mistake.

"Somehow, he's the man for the big goals," Schlotterbeck summed up, thinking back not only to Bremen but also to that long-range strike against Atlético that pushed Dortmund into the Champions League semi-finals. Sabitzer has a habit of appearing when the stakes are high and the margins thin.

Imagine the scene: Dortmund chasing a result in Munich, the title race hanging in the balance, the game slowing, legs tiring. A free-kick on the edge of the box. A loose ball 25 metres out. The kind of situation that doesn’t require 90 minutes of dominance, just one clean strike.

If Sabitzer can deliver again and send Dortmund to the top of the table, the narrative around him shifts in an instant. The talk of 2027 and departures suddenly looks premature. A player who was meant to embody a winning mentality in a title fight would finally be living that brief.

For that to happen, he has to do exactly what he did against Werder: step into the noise, embrace the pressure, and decide a big game with a big goal.

Munich, of all places, would be the perfect stage for the next chapter.