No home comforts in the Bundesliga
BUNDESLIGA: HIGH NUMBER OF AWAY WINS SINCE RESTART
Various quirks of the Bundesliga’s return after a hiatus of more than two months due to the coronavirus have included disinfecting match balls, banning handshakes and installing cardboard cutouts of fans, but one factor has impacted results from top to bottom – the disappearance of home advantage.
Of the 37 fixtures played since the 16 May resumption, 22 have been won by the away sides with German clubs missing the chants from their own terraces in matches held behind closed doors.
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund lost ground on leaders Bayern Munich late last month as the Bavarians won 1-0 at an almost empty Signal Iduna Park which can hold 82 000 people and has Europe’s largest standing area behind one goal.
“It’s crazy, we didn’t expect it would be like this,” Borussia Dortmund’s manager Sebastian Kehl said.
Fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen have had experiences on both sides of the coin.
They clinched victory in all three away games including a 3-1 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach but the loss against Wolfsburg at their BayArena leaves them out of the Champions League spots.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The supporters help their team, and when we play away from home without fans it’s obviously easier,” Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz said.
RB Leipzig, who sit two points ahead of Leverkusen in third, have failed to win just five times at their Red Bull Arena. Two of those have come since the restart in draws against mid-table Freiburg and rejuvenated Hertha Berlin.
“Now we have the impression that the teams with better individual quality win more often,” said Leipzig’s sporting director Makus Kroesche. –