Die Schwarzgelben finished second best to die Roten last season but they made a real statement of intent in defeating their rivals at the weekend
Nuri Sahin believes that Borussia Dortmund have laid down an early marker for this season's Bundesliga with their stunning 4-2 win over reigning champions Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on Saturday.
Die Schwarzgelben were beaten by the Bavarians in the final of the Champions League May, after finishing a distant second to the treble-winning Roten in the German championship.
However, Dortmund appear well placed to challenge Pep Guardiola's side this term, having claimed a stirring victory at Signal Iduna Park courtesy of a Marco Reus double, a strike from Ilkay Gundogan and a Daniel van Buyten own goal.
"Bayern's preparations for the Supercup were great," Sahin pointed out. "They scored close to 60 goals in friendlies and cleaned up. That was really impressive and obviously the other clubs really respect that.
"However, we've laid down a marker for the Bundesliga. We've proven there's another way. I think that was in the interest of the entire league.
"We can be really pleased. In my eyes, we've capped off some really good groundwork by winning the Supercup. Bring on the season!"
Sahin also believes that Dortmund proved that they have strengthened significantly during the off-season.
"The game was important for our newcomers," the Turkey international enthused. "They've seen what sort of an atmosphere there is at Dortmund and have slotted in seamlessly.
"[Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang introduced himself with an assist, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos provided added stability towards the end of the game. All in all, it was a good day for us and the new boys."
Dortmund kick off their bid to reclaim the Bundesliga title with an away game against Augsburg on August 10.