Berlin, Dec. 2 (BNA): A decisive blow could be dealt in the Bundesliga title race on Saturday when Bayern Munich welcomes German champions Borussia Dortmund, who are only one point behind.
Dortmund’s usual advantage with a large and enthusiastic home crowd will be significantly reduced as politicians prepare to cut capacity in an attempt to contain the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic, German news agency dpa said.
A repeat of the closed doors game, as of May 2020, currently appears unlikely. That match, with the Bundesliga restarting after a break at the start of the pandemic, was settled by Bayern’s brilliant Joshua Kimmich chip that effectively sealed the title.
Kimmich will not be employed on Saturday because he is currently self-isolating with coronavirus – having previously sparked controversy through professional football by revealing that he has not been vaccinated.
Bayern have managed to welcome others from injuries, but their recent matches, narrowly winning at Dynamo Kiev and at home to struggling Armenia Bielefeld, suggest they are not in full flow.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann also noted that the hard-earned victory means: “We are now traveling to Dortmund at the top of the table and we are looking forward to it a lot.”
Dortmund pressured Bayern with their impressive 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg, including the winning goal from returning star Erling Haaland.
Haaland is likely to start sitting on the bench last time and will face Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski in a head-to-head duel in the pole’s first game since he was given up for the Ballon d’Or.
But all eleven players selected by coach Marco Rose must be at their best if Dortmund are to win their first league win over Bayern in three years.
A victory at home would put Dortmund in the lead by two points, while a victory for Bayern would increase their advantage and significantly increase the chance of winning the tenth title in a row.
Elsewhere, the weekend begins with RB Leipzig to beat the coronavirus outbreak to visit Union Berlin. The other matches will be Bayer Leverkusen – Grather Fuerth, Hoffenheim – Eintracht Frankfurt, Mainz – Wolfsburg, Augsburg – Bochum and Bielefeld vs Cologne.
Sunday’s matches will be against Stuttgart against Hertha Berlin and Borussia Moenchengladbach – Freiburg. All matches are expected to be played at significantly reduced capacities.
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