German government officials have agreed to allow the return of the Bundesliga, and Bundesliga 2. As they are scheduled to restart play on Saturday, May 16th. While the sports world has been on hold, little by little news of leagues resuming training, and news of leagues restarting season play in the upcoming weeks has given the headlines back to sports. The Bundesliga will be the first major European league to resume to action, they will be kicking off Match Day 26 which gives us the following matchups:
While questions have been raised amid the COVID-19 pandemic, health is a major concern and rightfully so. There is a plan in place per: (DW.com as of 05.08.20)
The Hygiene Plan
“Players will be tested for coronavirus at least once a week and will only be allowed to play if they are negative twice in a row. Even the ball will be disinfected before and during the game.“
Testing
“DFL announced the results of their first 1,700 tests on Monday (05.04.20). Ten people tested positive from that batch, none had symptoms, and all were sent in to quarantine for two weeks. On Thursday (05.07.20), DFL CEO Christian Seifert said their second batch of tests turned up two positives.”
While the precautionary steps are being taken with most leagues, including the current sports leagues that have already resumed to action (ex: UFC, KBO League) the matches will be taking place with no fans in attendance. The talk about fans not being able to attend games for the rest of 2020 seems to be the theme for all sports. With that being said, the concern now becomes if the players/athletes will have enough training to be game/event ready without the risk of an injury?
Is This The Driving Force ?
“While there seems little doubt that several clubs are facing severe financial difficulties as a result of the postponement, some believe the league’s return is driven by financial pressure rather than because it’s safe.” per (DW.com as of 05.08.20)
This has been probably the hottest rumor around the sports world, as many believe that football leagues are resuming play due to the financial obligations of sponsors, and TV deals. True or not, play will resume, and although revenue will not be generated through ticket sales, there are other avenues for these clubs to generate revenue, and keep their employees well payed.
Not everyone agrees with the return. There have been some players in the Bundesliga, and other major European leagues that do not. However It has been reported that about 90% of the players were in favor of returning. Players who are refusing to play could face financial implications, or even legal implications, if they choose not to return to their clubs.
Kick Off ⚽️!!!
With the season scheduled to be played out. The remaining games will be played from May 16th through June 27th, but the schedule will remain flexible because of the domestic cup play. Within the time frame there are 9 matches for the majority of clubs. Eintracht Frankfurt, and Werder Bremen have 10 matches left. The idea is for the German Cup semifinals to happen around mid-June, and the final to follow up shortly after.
| TEAM | P | DIFF | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern | 25 | 47 | 55 |
| 2 | Dortmund ↑ | 25 | 35 | 51 |
| 3 | Leipzig ↓ | 25 | 36 | 50 |
| 4 | M’gladbach ↓ | 25 | 19 | 49 |
| 5 | Leverkusen | 25 | 1 | 47 |
| 6 | Schalke | 25 | 3 | 37 |
| 7 | Wolfburg | 25 | 4 | 36 |
| 8 | Freiburg ↑ | 25 | -1 | 36 |
| 9 | Hoffenheim ↓ | 4 | -8 | 35 |
| 10 | Köln | 25 | -6 | 32 |
| 11 | Union Berlin | 25 | -9 | 30 |
| 12 | Frankfurt | 25 | -3 | 28 |
| 13 | Berlin | 25 | -16 | 28 |
| 14 | Augsburg ↓ | 25 | -16 | 27 |
| 15 | Mainz | 25 | -19 | 27 |
| 16 | Düsseldorf | 25 | -23 | 18 |
| 17 | Bremen | 24 | -28 | 18 |
| 18 | Paderborn | 25 | -24 | 18 |
Bayern Munich currently leading the Bundesliga table, and are the favorites to win the title having a 4 point lead on Borussia Dortmund, and 5 point lead on RB Leipzig. M’galdbach, and Bayern Leverkusen are also within distance of the top, but are not as likely to compete like Dortmund, and Leipzig. With that said there are 9 games to determine if Bayern will be able to hold on to the top spot. Or will Borussia, or Leipzig dethrone the German giants to crown themselves the Bundesliga champions?
The next 7 weeks will all be action packed with some huge games coming up on Match Day 28 (Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich) and Match Day 33 (RB Leipzig vs Borussia Dortmund). Those matchups can be the determining factor of who ends up at the top of the table come June the 27th.
-Social Mike
RosenthalSports.com 