BERLIN – Borussia Dortmund will attempt to bounce back from
Champions League elimination when they host Schalke on Saturday while
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich visit to Union Berlin.
But the passion of the Ruhr derby and the historic appearance of
giants Bayern in the east of the German capital will be undermined by
the closed door nature of the fixtures due to the coronavirus.
"Every footballer and fan can't imagine games without each other,"
Schalke's Guido Burgstaller told the club homepage.
"Of course it isn't perfect to have to go ahead without any fans, but
everyone's health comes first."
The strange nature of the matches played in front of empty stands was
made apparent by Wednesday's Rhine derby between
Borussia Moenchengladbach and Cologne.
"It is really something different," referee Deniz Aytekin told Sky
television after that game. "Something is missing - massively.
"I can only hope that such a thing does not continue long-term."
The ban on fans, in Germany introduced by local authorities rather
than nationally, has been used as the alternative - not playing at
all - is considered worse.
And while clubs must take a financial hit in the short-term, the
German football league (DFL) believes it is necessary.
Should promotion and relegation not be known, or entrants to European
competition, the next season would start in chaos - if it could start
at all.
"In spite of the difficult circumstances, this is the only way for
clubs and DFL to plan reliably for the coming season," a league
statement said.
Promoted Union are enjoying a strong maiden season in the top-flight
and now host Bayern, the most renowned opponent in the league,
without their fans.
The club and their local authority Treptow-Koepenick were criticized
for initially saying supporters could attend this week before rowing
back on Wednesday.
Union president Dirk Zingler explained the process in an open letter
to fans which also addressed the issue of liability - something which
is likely to become more pressing across not football and all sport
as the battle against the virus continues.
"Both as an employer of several hundred people and as a contractual
partner of numerous suppliers and service providers, and with regard
to those who visit the stadium, we are dependent on such a legal
position in order not to be in breach of contract and be liable for
further damages," Ziegler wrote.
"This is now given and it is of existential importance for our club.
Cancelling it ourselves, without an official order, could have had
serious legal and economic consequences for our club."
Bayern are four points clear at the top of the table thanks to a last
2-0 win over Augsburg, though Thomas Mueller admitted a poor
performance was "not the level at which we want to perform, not the
level we displayed in the last few weeks."
Dortmund are second in the league going into their derby having been
knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on
Wednesday.
"We didn't produce the performance that was required to reach the
next round of the competition," sporting director Michael Zorc told
Sky. "Our game was littered with too many errors."
Schalke sixth and in poor form. "Despite the current situation, and
that we are not the favourites, we want to be able to put in a good
performance," said Burgstaller. "We will go into the game fully
motivated."
The weekend opens with a relegation six-pointer between
third-last Fortuna Dusseldorf and bottom club Paderborn while
Saturday also has Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, RB Leipzig v Freiburg
and Cologne v Mainz.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Gladbach and Augsburg v Wolfsburg are on Sunday
before struggling Werder Bremen complete the round at home to Bayer
Leverkusen on Monday.