The top two divisions of the German Bundesliga return to play Saturday, and the sports world will be closely watching as one of its biggest leagues kicks off.
On May 6, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the Bundesliga could resume play under strict conditions, including empty stadiums and twice-a-week testing for players.
The Bundesliga will be the first of the major European soccer leagues to return after sports around the world shut down in mid-March because of the spread of the novel coronavirus. Not only will officials of the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A monitor the game’s continental return, but leagues in the United States likely also will be watching closely as the Bundesliga provides a possible course of action for team sports to return.
This offers a chance for wagers to place their bets following huge declines in bets due to the absence of sports.
Here is what to know for Germany’s Geisterspiele (ghost games):
How to watch on TV
Saturday’s broadcast schedule:
- Borussia Dortmund v. FC Schalke 04, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1)
- RB Leipzig v. SC Freiburg, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS2)
- Eintracht Frankfurt v. Borussia Mönchengladbach, 12:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday’s broadcast schedule
- FC Koln v. FSV Mainz 05, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1)
- FC Union Berlin v. Bayern Munich, noon ET (FS1)
Monday’s broadcast schedule
- Werder Bremen v. Bayer Leverkusen, 2:30 p.m. ET (FS2)
This is the final season for the Bundesliga’s current TV rights deal with Fox Sports. The league moves to ESPN+ for the 2020-21 season.
Where the Bundesliga currently stands
Both the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga — the second division of German soccer — are entering Matchday 26 out of a possible 34, as nine games remain to complete the 2019-20 season.
Bayern Munich, the seven-time reigning Bundesliga champions, are once again in their familiar perch atop the Bundesliga table. However, there are challengers lurking with intent to prevent an eighth straight title. The top five teams are separated by eight points; Borussia Dortmund sits in second, four points behind the leader.
The Bundesliga will be implementing the temporary rule changes announced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) that allow for five substitutions (rather than the normal three) for remaining games this year. Teams can stop play only three times — including the halftime break — during the 90 minutes to make a change.
Social distancing rules
Here are some of the steps the Bundesliga is taking to assure its return is as safe as possible:
- Players, as well as staff members, are tested twice per week. Players will be tested day before a game, with positive results clearing them to play and isolation for two weeks for a positive test.
- Games will be played behind closed doors, with a 300-person limit (200 being players, coaches, officials, team staff; 100 being primarily security).
- Players enter the field separately with no handshakes.
- Players are not allowed to celebrate goals together, exchange high fives or embrace.
- Managers must wear protective masks, but can lower it to yell instructions to players on the field.
Bundesliga 2 team Dynamo Dresden is in a 14-day quarantine after positive COVID-19 tests by two players. The team’s game against Hannover 96, originally scheduled for Saturday, will have to be played at a later date.
FC Augsburg will be without coach Heiko Herrlich for Saturday’s game against Wolfsburg after he left the team’s hotel quarantine to buy toothpaste and skin cream at a nearby supermarket. Herrlich was to coach his first game for Augsburg on Saturday, but now can’t return to the team until he has registered two negative coronavirus tests.
Top American players to follow
The Bundesliga has been as good a landing spot as there is in Europe for American soccer players. Here are some top U.S. national soccer team players to monitor as the Bundesliga resumes:
1. Gio Reyna, midfielder, Borussia Dortmund — Reyna, the 17-year-old son of former U.S. national team captain Claudio Reyna, only recently was promoted to Dortmund’s first team. USMNT fans can only hope his rapid rise at BVB will mirror that of Christian Pulisic, who played four seasons in Dortmund before signing with the Premier League club Chelsea last year.
2. Weston McKennie, midfielder, Schalke — The 21-year-old McKennie is already in his third full season at Schalke and developed a reputation as a box-to-box midfield ballhawk. McKennie’s level of play has endeared himself to Schalke manager David Wagner, who called McKennie “an outstanding talent.”
3. Tyler Adams, midfielder, RB Leipzig — The 21-year-old Adams has been injury-prone since joining Die Roten Bullen from Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls in 2019. When he is healthy and on the field, Adams’ high-energy style of play makes him a fun player to watch.
4. Zack Steffen, goalkeeper, Fortuna Düsseldorf — The 25-year-old Steffen is currently on loan from Manchester City of the Premier League. The USMNT goalkeeper-in-waiting has had an up-and-down season for a Düsseldorf team that’s fighting to avoid relegation.
5. Josh Sargent, forward, Werder Bremen — The 20-year-old red-haired striker is hard to miss when he’s on the field, and should get plenty of scoring chances for a Bremen team that is desperately trying to avoid being relegated.
6. John Brooks, defender, Wolfsburg — Brooks was just 21 when he scored the game-winning goal against Ghana in the 2014 World Cup. Now 27, Brooks is a stalwart in defense for a Wolfsburg team having a surprising season, challenging for a spot in the UEFA Europa League.
7. Fabian Johnson, midfielder, Borussia Mönchengladbach — A USMNT fixture under former coach Jürgen Klinsmann, the 32-year-old Johnson hasn’t appeared for the U.S. since 2017 but has expressed interest in a return to the Gregg Berhalter-coached team.
8. Timmy Chandler, right back/winger, Eintracht Frankfurt — Chandler, 30, hasn’t played for the USMNT in four years after making the 2014 World Cup squad under Klinsmann. Amazingly, Chandler went on a goal-scoring tear in February.
Honorable mention: Alphonso Davies, left back/winger, Bayern Munich — Yeah, we’re cheating here, given that Davies is Canadian. However, after a record transfer from the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS to Bayern, the 19-year-old Davies has thrived for one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs.
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