- This weekend the German Bundesliga will become the first major sports league in the Western world to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Two months after it was suspended, all 18 of the league’s teams will play across Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
- Ahead of the restart, Insider has provided you with a team-by-team run through, including which players you should be keeping an eye on.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
After two long months without football, this weekend the German Bundesliga will become the first major sports league in the Western world to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic.
All 18 of the league’s teams will play across Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (behind closed doors, of course) with record numbers of viewers expected to tune in to get their sporting fix, according to The Times.
Ahead of the weekend, Insider has provided you with a team-by-team run through, including how the season has gone so far, how it might play out over the next few months, and which players you should be keeping an eye on.
We’ve also provided you with a handy guide as to which team you should support and why, should you so wish.
FC Augsburg
League position: 14th
Nickname: Die Fuggerstadter
Player to watch: Phillip Max, an attacking left back with a killer cross.
You should support them if: You like keeping yourself to yourself.
Augsburg earned promotion to the Bundesliga in 2011, and has since established itself as a solid mid-table side. Its best campaign was in 2014/15 when it finished 5th, however after a failed Europa League campaign the following season, it has slipped back down the table in recent years.
Hertha BSC
League position: 13th
Nickname: The Old Lady
Player to watch: Krzysztof Piatek, a hot-shot Polish striker.
You should support them if: You're an erratic spender.
Hertha had a mid-season spending spree of $85 million in an attempt to propel itself up the Bundesliga table. Unfortunately, it didn't work, with Bruno Labbadia's side still hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.
Union Berlin
League position: 11th
Nickname: The Iron Ones
Player to watch: Sebastian Andersson, a tall Swedish striker with 11 goals this season.
You should support them if: You consider yourself a hipster.
Union Berlin has attracted a new wave of supporters since earning promotion to the Bundesliga last year thanks to the club's quirky traditions and family-feel fanbase. Urs Fischer's side hasn't disappointed them either, having all but secured safety already.
From the former East Berlin, the club is rooted in the turbulent history of Germany. Union and Hertha played out the first ever Berlin rivalry match in the Bundesliga earlier in the season, and meet again on May 22.
Werder Bremen
League position: 17th
Nickname: The River Islanders
Player to watch: Milot Rashica, a wonderkid winger who scored more goals per minute than any other Bundesliga player last year.
You should support them if: You're a fan of "The Great Escape."
Werder Bremen hasn't been relegated from the Bundesliga since 1980, however that could soon change with Florian Kohfeldt's team sitting just two points of the foot of the table with only 10 games to go. On paper, it should have (just) enough to survive.
Borussia Dortmund
League position: 2nd
Nickname: The Black and Yellows
Player to watch: Jadon Sancho, the future of English football, who swapped Britain's industrial heartland for Germany's.
You should support them if: You're a football purist.
Dortmund has been one of Europe's most entertaining teams this season, having hit four or more goals on eight separate occasions in the Bundesliga alone. With a plethora of attacking talent at its disposal, headed by teenage phenom Erling Braut Haaland, expect more of the same in the remaining games.
Fortuna Dusseldorf
League position: 16th
Nickname: Die Flingeraner
Player to watch: Zack Steffen, the USMNT's star goalkeeper.
You should support them if: You want to keep an eye on the Americans.
Currently sitting four points from safety, Dusseldorf has a huge task on its hands if it's to beat the drop this term. In its last nine games, it must face Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig - the league's top three teams. Ouch.
Eintracht Frankfurt
League position: 12th
Nickname: The Eagles
Player to watch: Filip Kostic, a flying left-winger who is "criminally underrated."
You should support them if: You're on Wall Street. Frankfurt is the de facto home of the EU's financial services sector.
Frankfurt has enjoyed a fine past two years, finishing seventh and eighth in the Bundesliga, whilst also winning the DFB Pokal and reaching the Europa League semifinals. Having sold the strike force that played a huge part in that success, Luka Jovic and Sebastian Haller, last summer however, it's struggled this term.
SC Freiburg
League position: 8th
Nickname: The Brazilians of Breisgau
Player to watch: Robin Koch, 6'3" German international defender.
You should support them if: You like an underdog.
Some bargain business in last summer's transfer market is largely responsible for Freiburg's unlikely challenge for a European qualification spot this term. Vincenzo Grifo, Jonathan Schmid, and Kwon Chang-hoon, signed for a combined $15.3 million, have been three of Christian Streich's key men.
1899 Hoffenheim
League position: 9th
Nickname: Die Kraichgauer
Player to watch: Robert Skov, a Danish set-piece specialist, who in 2019 broke the single season scoring record in the Danish league ... while playing as a defender. Skov moved to Hoffenheim in July last year.
You should support them if: You don't mind bending the rules.
Just before play was halted in March, Hoffenheim and its owner Dietmarr Hopp were the subject of protests from a number of other club's fanbases. In Germany, teams are not supposed to be owned by commercial entities or individuals, however Hoffenheim is almost wholly owned by Hopp. His money has helped it quickly ascend from the sixth tier of German football to the Bundesliga in just 10 years. The club has even played in the Champions League twice.
FC Koln
League position: 10th
Nickname: The Billy Goats
Player to watch: Jhon Cordoba, a Colombian striker compared to the legendary Didier Drogba.
You should support them if: You're an animal lover (its mascot is an actual goat called Hennes.)
Koln had an awful start to the season, losing 10 and winning just two of its first 14 matches. However since, its won eight in 11 to rocket itself up the table and within reach of Europe. Cordoba's 11 goals have been a big help.
RB Leipzig
League position: 3rd
Nickname: The Red Bulls
Player to watch: German football's next great striker, the 24-year-old Timo Werner.
You should support them if: You don't mind being disliked.
ESPN describes Leipzig as "the most hated soccer team in the Bundesliga" due to it being "Europe's equivalent of an American expansion team." Born as a fifth division side in 2009, the Red Bulls have quickly ascended their way right to the top, and the side is now one of country's best teams.
Bayer Leverkusen
League position: 5th
Nickname: The Company's Eleven
Player to watch: Kai Havertz, a 20-year-old playmaker tipped to one day win the Balon d'Or.
You should support them if: You like the dirty side of the game.
Six. That's how many times Leverkusen players have been shown red cards in the Bundesliga alone this term, which is the highest in the division and the joint third highest in the whole of Europe.
Mainz 05
League position: 15th
Nickname: The 05ers
Player to watch: Robin Quaison, a Swedish striker with a penchant for wondergoals.
You should support them if: You like to live dangerously.
In 2017, Mainz avoided relegation only on goal difference, and in 2018 did so by just three points. And it's playing with fire again this season, currently sitting ahead of 16th placed Dusseldorf by four points.
Borussia Monchengladbach
League position: 4th
Nickname: The Foals
Player to watch: Dennis Zakaria, a Swiss defensive midfielder compared to Patrick Vieira.
You should support them if: You plan on following the Bundesliga for a long time.
'Gladbach is unlikely to win the league this year, but, if the team can keep its best players, it very well might in the coming years. Marco Rose's side boasts some of the best young talent the league has to offer, including Dennis Zakaria, Marcus Thuram, and Breel Embolo.
Bayern Munich
League position: 1st
Nickname: The Bavarians
Player to watch: Alphonso Davies, a flying Canadian winger who has transformed into a flying Canadian left back this season. He is tipped to be the greatest male Canadian player in history (the bar is admittedly low).
You should support them if: You really, really hate losing.
Bayern has won the Bundesliga for the past seven seasons in a row; however, it will have to fight hard to keep that winning streak going with both Dortmund, Leipzig, and Monchengladbach all hot on its tail. Nicknamed FC Hollywood, Bayern basically never loses and often poaches the biggest stars from other Bundesliga clubs.
SC Paderborn
League position: 18th
Nickname: None
Player to watch: Streli Mamba, a Congolese striker described by the Bundesliga's official website as "venomous."
You should support them if: You like yo-yos.
Poor Paderborn has had a rough ride over the past decade or so. Promoted from the third division in 2009 and then into the Bundesliga in 2014, it instantly went down two divisions in the two years that followed.
It then earned consecutive promotions in 2018 and 2019 to make it back to the Bundesliga, however is set for yet another relegation this term. Steffen Baumgart's side is bottom with only nine games left.
Schalke 04
League position: 6th
Nickname: The Royal Blues
Player to watch: Amine Harit, a Moroccan midfielder with a flashy style of play and links to FC Barcelona.
You should support them if: Boredom is your thing.
No team in the Bundesliga has drawn more games than Schalke this term, which has managed a huge 10 stalemates. It's also only scored 33 goals, the fourth worst total in the division, however somehow still finds itself sixth in the table.
VfL Wolfsburg
League position: 7th
Nickname: The Wolves
Player to watch: Wout Weghorst, a towering Dutch striker almost two meters tall.
You should support them if: You love a good kit, Wolfsburg's is fantastic.
Wolfsburg has too many points to be relegated, but too few to compete for automatic European football. It's best hope at ending the season on a high would be leapfrogging Schalke into a sixth placed finish and the Europa League qualification rounds. The two sides meet on the penultimate match day in what will likely be the decider.
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