Jurgen Klopp vs. Pep Guardiola: Breaking Down the Westfalenstadion Dugout Battle

Despite being one of the best managers in modern football, Pep Guardiola always looks incredibly pensive ahead of every game. Often dressed like he's just stepped off a catwalk in Milan, the former Barcelona manager tends to frequent his dugout with both hands in his pockets—his cold stare and bitten lip doing very little to hide his absolute commitment to the game playing out before him.

As such, he often looks like a man occupying the last-chance saloon of football management—an obvious far cry from his current position in Munich—but then again, he could be forgiven for not simply allowing games to pass his team by like others have this season.

Guardiola may be rather comfortable at Bayern, but on Saturday in the Westfalenstadion, he'll be just as nervous as ever in the knowledge that the reigning German champions need all three points against Borussia Dortmund.

Although his side currently enjoy a 10-point lead over Wolfsburg, Guardiola’s side fell to Borussia Monchengladbach in their final game before the international break. An isolated incident, until fans remember the draw with Schalke in February and the heavy, 4-1 defeat to Wolfsburg before that.

Such results suggest that while Bayern have little trouble pushing for double figures against the likes of Paderborn and Hamburg, they struggle when they come up against the chasing pack.

The Bavarian giants are on course for another Bundesliga title, but in Munich, you’re only as good as your last win. If Bayern were to lose to Dortmund on Saturday, it would be the fourth game in a row they’ve failed to overcome a team considered to be one of their closest competitors in the German top division, and the knives would undoubtedly be out for the current manager.

Gero Breloer/Associated Press

Alternatively, Jurgen Klopp will approach this weekend's Klassiker with little pressure or expectation on either his or his side's shoulders, which will undoubtedly drive him mad.

Dortmund, entirely through their own doing, have managed to convince the world they're no longer the side they once were. They're no longer the rivals to Bayern's dominance of German football—that mantle could now belong to Wolfsburg—and have very little to offer against the best sides in Europe, as we saw against Juventus in the Champions League.

Of course, Dortmund still possess most of the talent and personnel that made them great, but for one reason or another, those days have passed. Nobody expects Dortmund to win on Saturday, which in turn leaves them with little pressure going into the game. And that will do little but infuriate the grand conductor of the famous yellow wall.

Although Dortmund could certainly use points to help them snatch a European spot by the end of the season, fans would arguably rather see the club prioritise overcoming Gladbach the following week than throw everything at what seems like a foregone conclusion on Saturday.

Klopp's side could reach Europe next season, but it's unlikely that a win or defeat to Bayern will play a large part in how that turns out.

Despite what may seem to be at stake in Saturday’s game, we’re likely to see both managers avoid pulling any surprises with their squad selections and tactics.

Guardiola’s side will be hoping to control the manner in which the game is played through the pace and precision with which they can retain the ball, while Dortmund will hope to hit the league leaders on the break in a similar fashion to Gladbach during their recent win against Bayern.

In the end, one team will likely go on to win and the other will have to contend with bitter defeat. Yet for each side, such a scenario could mean something entirely different. Two clubs, two managers and a whole catalogue of consequences that could play out on Saturday evening.

@Sbienkowski