Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich brings us the Quarantine Super Bowl

It might have taken a worldwide pandemic to reach this level of importance, but here we are. The biggest sporting event during the Covid-19 crisis takes place on Tuesday when Borussia Dortmund hosts Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park, getting started at 12:30 p.m. ET and airing on FS1 and FOX Sports Deportes.

It will dwarf in terms of importance anything that’s happened in a sporting sense since the world shut down in March. To wit, this match features:

• The two best teams in Germany by a wide margin and rivals of such massive importance the game is nicknamed Der Klassiker (“The Classic”). You might be more familiar with eternal derbies such as Real Madrid vs. Barcelona or even Celtic vs. Rangers, but over the past decade this matchup has reached that level. It also might be the most entertaining of the bunch.
• Last year Dortmund finished two points behind Bayern, giving Der FCB a seventh-straight Bundesliga title. It was on BVB’s racket, but a 4-2 home loss to Schalke in The Revierderby and a draw with Werder Bremen in two of the last four matches of the season ended their chances.
• The last team to beat Bayern? Dortmund in 2012. They’ve finished second in the table four times since.

Right now Dortmund sit four points behind Bayern through 27 rounds of Bundesliga play this season, and each team has seven matches remaining. A Dortmund victory at home will put them just one point behind and require Bayern to be flawless through their last six matches to control their own destiny. With a loss tomorrow, even a single draw in the final six matches puts control of the title in the hands of Dortmund.

And for the casual fan, it doesn’t hurt that these are two of the most attacking and fun-to-watch teams in all of European soccer. Bayern has scored 80 goals this season while conceding only 28, and Dortmund has tallied 74 against 33 allowed. The striking star power on both sides is elite, with Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry for Bayern Munich against Jadon Sancho (hopefully playing tomorrow), Marco Reus and Erling Haaland for Dortmund.

These are teams that can score quickly and beautifully from anywhere on the pitch. They look to get forward and score goals, so parking the bus won’t happen. The last six league matches between these teams have seen 29 goals scored. Expect more fireworks tomorrow.

The ratings across the world should dwarf any Super Bowl. And it’s the only game of significant importance being played on the world stage on a Tuesday afternoon. When you’re watching tomorrow, you’ll be doing so with potentially billions of others across the planet. And that’s just the kind of sports relief we all need right now.

Here are the odds for Der Klassiker between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.

Borussia Dortmund +255
Draw +310
Bayern Munich -120