Bayern Munich centre-back Dante has admitted that a win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday would give his side the early advantage in the race for the Bundesliga title.
Dante said that, while a victory would not decide the destination of the title, his side want to prove that they are still the best team in Germany.
"Nothing will be decided if we win, even if we have a seven-point lead," he told Bundesliga.com. "We would be able to go into the coming games feeling more relaxed and at ease, but after the big one there are still another 21 games. In that respect, a lot can still happen.
"We want to prove yet again that we are Germany's number one. At the moment, we're in sparkling form and we want to back that up in Dortmund. We want to show that we're the best.
"For that to happen, we will have to be in top form. There's going to be a fiery atmosphere and it's going to be really absorbing, but these are the games we love. That's why we play football."
League leaders Bayern are currently four points ahead of Dortmund.
Matt Domm
