Bayern shakes off slump before ‘der Klassiker’ in Dortmund

BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich appears to have shaken off its customary early season slump just in time for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

The two rivals are level on points after eight Bundesliga matches, but surprisingly neither team is at the top of the standings going into “der Klassiker.” It’s the first time that’s happened since Wolfsburg won the title in 2009. Union Berlin is currently in first place.

Bayern’s mini-slump — a four-game run without a win before the international break — saw the Bavarian powerhouse fall down the standings, but the team has rebounded with a 4-0 rout of Bayern Leverkusen followed by a 5-0 victory over Czech champion Viktoria PlzeÅ