Bayern Munich versus Borussia Dortmund - Is this the greatest rivalry currently in world football? It would not be too much of a stretch to say so.

These two teams are polar opposites in almost every single way possible. Die Roten are almost elitist, despite their fan-centered approach; They have money, prestige, and their place at the table of the footballing elite – among the absolute upper echelon of the game - is ensured. Munich is their home, an economic powerhouse of a city, with the Allianz-Arena, a state-of-the art monument to Vorsprung durch Technik in Germany. Contrast that to BVB, which developed in working-class Dortmund, where wealth is secondary and football is the be all and end all; the reason to go to work for a week and earn a living to visit the industrial, yet beautiful and soulful Westfalenstadion on weekends.

It is intriguing to note that despite the on-field rivalries between players, off the pitch they get along unexpectedly well. Many of these players, are, after all, teammates at international level, and bonded together as a collective en route to World Cup triumph. An example of this is when Bastian Schweinsteiger sang his ill-advised “BVB, Hurensöhne” celebratory song, Kevin Großkreutz - the man who breathes and bleeds Borussia Dortmund - accepted his apology with minimal fuss and even invited his Bayern Munich rival to experience the legendary Gelbe Wand, or ‘Yellow Wall’, at the Westfalenstadion, in person. Of course, as alluded to before, there is absolutely no love lost on the pitch, but one feels that the rivalry has become personal more at board level than between players, with staff members from both clubs having been involved in numerous wars of words over the past year or so.

This can be attributed to the personalities at both clubs that occasionally clash when one side does not take too kindly to comments made by their rivals. Who can forget the highly public spat Jürgen Klopp had with Bayern Munich Sporting Director Matthias Sammer, when the latter claimed that the success of the Bavarians was not down to superior financial muscle, but a stronger work ethic and better preparation. Jürgen Klopp immediately countered that the former BVB player and manager should be glad that he has a job at Säbener Straße, for Bayern Munich would be no worse off without him. While this little feud has died down somewhat, the one higher up between Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and his Bayern Munich counterpart, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, continues, as the Bavarian Board member continually hints at a move for Schwarzgelben star Marco Reus, knowing well that the scars left by the acquisitions of Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski have not yet started to fade within a club that is still unique in being more similar to a large family than a revenue-driven organization.

The financial clout of Bayern Munich has remained a sore point for Hans-Joachim Watzke, given that it is well documented how Die Roten loaned BVB a certain amount to save Die Schwarzgelben from impending bankruptcy in 2004. This was on full display last year when Hans-Joachim Watzke claimed that it was not the kind donation from a fellow club that it was made out to be in the media, but rather a loan with 8% interest. The men in power at Säbener Straße, predictably, were not happy at all with this statement, and soon-to-be club President Karl Hopfner labeled this claim as an “absolute untruth“, going on to compare the Dortmund CEO to a fictional German character, Baron Von Munchausen, who is known for his fantastical stories, adding that even that description would be “flattering to him“. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has seemingly set out at times to taunt the Borussia Dortmund executive, and this has led to numerous petty spats in recent times. There is no doubt that there is a genuine dislike between the two, but one wonders whether imprisoned former President Uli Hoeneß would approve of how relations have been handled in his enforced absence. On the flip side, many will claim that the man sitting at Landsberg Prison for tax evasion, regardless of his monumental legacy in football, is the last person from whom lessons on morality, sportsmanship and ethics would be accepted.

Another fascinating storyline in this rivalry that adds even more depth to Der Klassiker is that of Mats Hummels. The new Borussia Dortmund club captain started his early career at Bayern Munich, but was unable to make much of a breakthrough into the first-team picture. The fact that his father, Hermann Hummels, a youth team coach for many years at Säbener Straße, was released by the club in 2012 adds further fuel to a simmering animosity towards the Bavarian side. When Bayern Munich won the DFB Pokal last season in a final which many felt could have, and should have, gone the way of Die Schwarzgelben if decisions had been more consistent, nobody was more disappointed than a Mats Hummels who trudged off the Olympiastadion turf visibly drained and dejected. Whatever the situation might be, and whether the reward is three points or a trophy, the incentive is always there for the German International to get one over the Bavarians. As a player, the World Cup was something of a coming-of-age in a playing capacity. There was never any doubting his talent, as proven by the trust Jürgen Klopp puts in him, but that mistake that he always seemed to have in him has almost eradicated itself from his game completely when fully fit. Now the stage is set for Mats Hummels to lead his beloved BVB for years to come against the team that once rejected him.

The image of Neven Subotic sneering at a dejected Arjen Robben in the 2012 final of the same competition where Borussia Dortmund mauled Die Roten 5-2 is an iconic picture, because it not only symbolized the beginning of the rise of the Dutchman from a flop when the going gets tough into a reliable big-game player, but also the emergence of a new, brutally determined Bayern Munich. The 2012 season will always be remembered for the Champions League final loss to Chelsea by the Bavarians, but it is also worth noting that BVB had truly become the driving force in German domestic football by that stage. After that game, a new ruthless transfer policy was implemented, and a bloody single-mindedness to win everything in sight took over the entire club. This, of course, yielded the historic treble in 2013 under Jupp Heynckes, in which the zero became the hero against his former tormentors as Arjen Robben scored the Champions League winning goal against Die Schwarzgelben in the crowning glory for the Bundesliga - an all-German European Cup final. The rest, as we know, is history, with Bayern Munich having acquired the services of former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and charging to another league title in record time.

Red versus yellow; the contrast in symbolism of these colours describe these two clubs more aptly than one would think. Red describes passion, excitement, aggression and ruthlessness, which is Bayern Munich - the powerful and successful club, European royalty, that strives for nothing less than perfection - in a nutshell. Then you have the joy, happiness, optimism, idealism and friendship signified by the color yellow, which is an accurate description of Borussia Dortmund, probably one of the most loved Bundesliga clubs in world football that somehow makes everyone feel welcome in the Schwarz und Gelb family. This contrast between both clubs in their approach and style is a constant theme wherever you look, with their respective managers a perfect example of this yin and yang of sorts. Jürgen Klopp has labeled his style as “Heavy-Metal Football” - frantic, fast paced and exciting to the point of exhilaration, while Pep Guardiola preaches a more measured, composed brand of football, which reminds more of the artistry which one finds within a finely tuned orchestra, of whom the Catalan is the conductor. It is, in fact, this massive contrast in approach that makes Der Klassiker such an interesting and utterly unpredictable derby, and the highlight of the Bundesliga fixture-list.

What does the next installment of this intriguing rivalry hold for us? One thing we can be absolutely sure of is that it will be intriguing at all levels, and fans of German football will doubtlessly be treated to a showcase of the two best sides in the league going head to head in an epic battle between polar opposites in every sense and form.