German Bundesliga To Return May 16

German Bundesliga To Return May 16

By Editor

The Bundesliga will return on May 16 amid the coronavirus crisis and the German Football Association (DFL) hope to complete the season by June 30.

Germany's government on Wednesday gave the green light for the Bundesliga to return and left the decision of the return date to the DFL. At an Ordinary Assembly on Thursday, the 36 clubs of the upper two tiers agreed the first match will be played on May 16 in order to complete the season by June 30.

The Bundesliga was suspended on the eve of matchday 26 on March 13, and the DFL agreed to continue with the standard calendar. All games will be held behind closed doors amid a ban on mass gatherings in Germany until Aug. 31.
Among the matches to be played when the Bundesliga returns on May 16 will be the
Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04, with the two sets of fans having a long-standing rivalry.

Leaders Bayern Munich will be away to Union Berlin on May 17 and the Klassiker between Dortmund and Bayern is set to be played on May 26 or 27. Bayern Munich are vying for an eighth consecutive title and hold a four-point lead over Borussia Dortmund.
RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach complete the five teams competing for Bundesliga's four Champions League places.

Schalke, Wolfsburg, Freiburg, Hoffenheim and Cologne are battling for a maximum of two Europa League places, while at the bottom, Paderborn and Werder Bremen need to make up a six- and four-point gap, respectively, to reach the relegation playoff place, which is held by Fortuna Dusseldorf.

While the DFL hope to complete the league by June 30, the playoff between the 16th-placed Bundesliga club and the third-placed Bundesliga 2 club is planned for July.