As more and more countries are making some progress against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, live professional sports are gradually returning to life. UFC 249 is set for this weekend in Florida, and next weekend will mark the return of play in the Bundesliga — Germany’s soccer league — at all divisions. May 16 will bring the first matches, with the season to be completed by June 30. For those of you who include Bundesliga Odds — or who are looking for any live sports to get that wagering fix — take a look at what the re-opening of the Bundesliga will look like.
Soccer News: The Bundesliga Returns on May 16th!
First of all, the league will proceed with caution. The head of the German Football Association (DFL) indicated that the resumption of the schedule is similar to getting released provisionally from prison, saying that the season is “on parole.” There will not be any fans at the games, as there is still a ban in Germany on mass gatherings until August 31 at the earliest.
The DFL put together a 51-page medical plan that would accompany the resumption of matches, and the German government authorized the plan with some minor changes. Soccer is a contact sport (although one could argue that the contact is significantly less than what one sees in UFC), so one primary focus of the plan is to ensure that infected players do not find their way to the field.
Players have already begun preparing in training, of course. Salomon Kalou, a forward for Hertha Berlin, streamed a video from inside the team’s facilities. However, he did not follow guidelines, using physical contact to greet his fellow players, and he also showed that many of the players were not staying the recommended six feet apart. He even walked into a room where one teammate was taking a COVID-19 test. The club suspended Kalou for his actions, and he would later express his regret.
All Bundesliga teams have to go into a seven-day quarantined training camp ahead of next weekend’s games. Clubs have been training in smaller groups since the beginning of April, however.
Some of the May 16 matches will be particularly spirited. The Revierderby, pitting FC Schalke 04 against Borussia Dortmund, will take place that day (although without those raucous fans in their seats). Bayern Munich, currently in the league lead, will play at Union Berlin on May 17. The Klassiker, a derby between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, is set for May 26 or 27. Bayern would claim an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title if they can make it to the finish in first place. Currently, they lead Borussia Dortmund by four points.
The other three teams that could still nab one of the four slots the Bundesliga has in the Champions League for next year are Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig. Schalke, Cologne, Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Wolfsburg are all within reach of two slots in the Europa League. At the bottom of the table, Fortuna Dusseldorf is currently in 16th place, which would put it in a playoff with the third-place finisher from Bundesliga 2. However, Fortuna Dusseldorf is just four points clear of Werder Bremen and six points clear of Paderborn, who are looking to fight their way up and out of certain relegation.
It will be interesting to see whether the English Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and La Liga all take a look at opening their games back up again in the wake of the decision by the Bundesliga. Germany has had a greater level of success with respect to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus than many of its peer nations in Europe, so it may not be realistic to see the continent’s other major leagues resume play. Make sure to follow our odds offerings on the first weekend of Bundesliga play so that you can maximize your wagering profits!
