The Bundesliga recommences following the coronavirus shutdown this weekend. It has been nine weeks since the previous game was played in the German top-flight but the fans should be glued to the television sets, given it will be the first major European league to restart footballing action.
Bayern will seek to continue their defence of the league title with an away trip to Union Berlin but the main source of attraction could be the Revierderby with Borussia Dortmund coming up against arch-rivals Schalke 04 at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund are presently just four points behind Bayern, who are leading the standings and they need to start on a winning note to sustain their title challenge. That won’t be an easy task, considering their derbies against Schalke have been tightly contested with no side having a clear advantage.
Schalke, meanwhile, are 12 points behind the top four but they have everything to play for with a Europa League qualification spot up for grabs. Prior to the league’s suspension, their form was poor with just four points gained from seven outings and they will be hoping to redeem themselves.
Three players to watch out for in the Revierderby:
Erling Braut Haaland – Borussia Dortmund: The 19-year-old only made the move to Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January but he has already become the main catalyst behind their title pursuit. He has bagged nine goals and two assists from his eight appearances in the Bundesliga so far. Schalke can’t afford to offer the Norwegian any space in and around the box, given he has the aerial presence and ability to find the net from a distance with his cannon of a left foot.
Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund: The England international is another potential world-class talent in the Dortmund squad. He has registered a superb tally of 14 goals and 15 assists in the German top-flight this term and has been effective from both wide attacking positions. He has already shown that he can win games for Dortmund on his own but Schalke now have to deal with the combination of him and Haaland on the counter-attack which is no easy feat.
Jean-Clair Todibo – Schalke: Schalke are likely to anticipate a testing challenge on their hands with Dortmund managing to score more than twice of their goal tally in the current campaign. In this case, the defence could be key to frustrating the hosts. Barcelona loanee Todibo caught the eye with some solid displays before the shutdown and his tackling remains the main strength. He could potentially feature as the central figure in a back three and will need to keep a close watch on Haaland’s movement.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com