Kim Min-jae will ‘single-handedly defend’ Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga as they face their first derby since arriving in Germany.
The Bavarians will host Borussia Dortmund in the 10th round of the 2023-24 Bundesliga at the Zignale Iduna Park in Germany on May 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Munich and Dortmund are two of the Bundesliga’s leading powerhouses and rivals, and their meetings have always been fierce derbies with championship implications.
In the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals, Munich and Dortmund defeated Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, to reach the final, earning them the nickname “Der Klassiker,” the German version of El Clasico.
This season, Bayern Munich and Dortmund are still in second and fourth place in the league with 7 wins, 2 draws (23 points) and 6 wins, 3 draws (21 points), respectively. The outcome of this matchup will have a huge impact on the leap in the standings.
Heading into the crucial match, Bayern Munich’s defense is not in great shape.
So far, the Bavarians have had to rely on newcomer Kim Min-Jae to play all of their games without rest due to injuries to established central defenders Dayo Upamecano and De Ligt.
But now, both Upamecano and De Ligt have gone down at the same time, leaving Kim as the only central defender available. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Kim is single-handedly protecting Munich.
Even though he’s a “monster,” he can get tired. He struggled a bit in the DFB Pokal against third division Saarbrücken in midweek, and instead of being rested, he was left to cover the back in a crucial der Klassiker. 무지개토토 도메인
Even during his time at Napoli, Kim Min-jae has shown that he is ‘big game strong’, defending well in big matches against league giants such as AC Milan and Inter Milan (Italy).
If he can perform well in a crisis when the defense breaks down, it’s a chance for him to solidify his place in the team and impress the fans.
“It’s better to play and struggle than to not play and struggle,” Kim Min-jae said earlier when asked about the situation of continuing to play without a rotation. I will do my best to play well and produce results whenever I get the chance.”