Six reasons to tune in to Germany’s Bundesliga
With games resuming this weekend, the German Bundesliga is the biggest sports competition to return to action, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep other leagues on pause.
This doesn't come without some concern, of course. While strict precautions are being taken regarding player safety, there's still the worry of whether or not the Bundesliga can return without issue. The spread of the coronavirus has sharply tailed off in Germany, but the country has seen a recent rise in the last week as it tries to reopen the country. On top of that, three members of FC Koln recently tested positive for the coronavirus, and while it was caught through testing before they were able to interact with the rest of the team, it's clear that athletes are still at risk of catching and transmitting the illness.
Regardless, the league will resume, and will certainly have the American pro sports leagues keeping a close eye on how things play out on the coronavirus front. But it will also give sports-starved fans something to watch, so let's talk about that.
After six top-flight matches were played on Saturday, fans can tune to Fox Sports 1 on Sunday morning for a doubleheader starting at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Bayern Munich aside, the Bundesliga's clubs lack the recognition and visibility of England, Spain and Italy's top sides. But for a few weeks, at least, they're about to take center stage. Which is great, because there's always been more to the league than just the Bavarian powerhouse.
Depending on who you talk to, the Bundesliga has comfortably existed as the third or fourth best soccer league in the world for some time now. On average, the Bundesliga is not as physical as England's Premier League or as methodical as Spain's La Liga, but matches are fast and frenetic, making it eminently watchable. There are also goals … so, so many goals.
And while Bayern may dominate the Bundesliga spotlight (not to mention the title picture), you could make the argument that no league is as competitive from top to bottom. Last year's title race may have only involved Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, but down the homestretch of the campaign, there were six teams in contention for fourth place (and the final
Champions League spot), and Bayer Leverkusen clawed its way back from ninth place to claim it on the final matchday.
While there may not be a sixteam scramble to get into the Champions League this time around, there is still a threeteam title race and a two-team Champions League battle to sort out, along with some weird, random and fun side stories.
Here are a few reasons why you'll want to tune into the Bundesliga this weekend.
TITLE RACE
It might be easy to look at Bayern at the top of the table and assume that they're about to lock up an eighth straight Bundesliga title, but this year has been anything but easy for the club. Almost midway through the season, Bayern found itself sitting in seventh place, seven points off of first-place Borussia Monchengladbach. After making a managerial switch, it now has a narrow cushion atop the table with nine matches to play, but Dortmund (4-0 winners Saturday), Monchengladbach (3-1 winners) and RB Leipzig (1-1 draw) are lurking just below, and they are anything but pushovers this season. If Bayern gets off to a slow start, this race could get real interesting.
RIVALRIES FLARE
The best match of the weekend - on paper at least - took place Saturday as Dortmund and FC Schalke squared off in the Reveirderby. The two North Rhine-Westphalia clubs are separated by less than 20 miles and four spots in the table before the pandemic pause, at second and sixth, respectively. Saturday's showdown didn't live up