After almost two months of no footballing action, football fans this month were given some exciting news as the German federal government gave their clearance for the restart of the Bundesliga. The German top flight will resume next weekend and being the only top league in Europe to get back underway; it will surely attract some viewership.
In this article, we will talk about five things worth looking forward to if you don’t watch the Bundesliga.
5 Things To Look Forward To About The Bundesliga Resuming
The title race
Bundesliga is enjoying its best and most exciting title race in years. While record champions Bayern Munich are leading the table, they just have a four-point lead over Borussia Dortmund in second. The Black and Yellows themselves are leading third-placed RB Leipzig by only one point, meaning three clubs are indulged in the title race this season.
What’s more interesting is that Dortmund are set to face Bayern Munich in two weeks. That means neither of these sides can’t afford to slip up while Leipzig will be hoping for a draw in the revered Der Klassiker. In either case, Bundesliga offers an exciting title race, and it is something every neutral should look forward to.
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland’s incredible rise to prominence has already been well documented. Especially after arriving at Borussia Dortmund in January, the striker has netted a whopping 12 goals in just 11 matches. His tremendous form will be crucial as the Ruhrpott giants look to pip Bayern and Leipzig for the league title.
From a neutral fans’ perspective, Haaland’s performance during the rest of the campaign could help him garner interest from a host of clubs across Europe. Real Madrid, for one, have already been linked with a move for the Norweigian international so far.
The Bosz machine: Bayer Leverkusen
If you are looking for some exciting football, then Bayer Leverkusen is the destination. The factory giants have enjoyed a swift rise to prominence under Peter Bosz. The Dutch manager has enforced a pure attacking game that is extremely attractive on the eye, although they often get criticised for their lack of defensive solidity.
Moreover, Die Werkself have a bunch of exciting players, including Kai Havertz, Leon Bailey and Kevin Volland, among many others. So it will be a thrilling prospect for a neutral to watch all of them act as a collective attacking unit.
Hertha’s cognitive decline
It has been a dreadful campaign for Hertha Berlin. While it was clear that the club from the capital was going to struggle following the departure of Pal Dardai, they have already changed managers twice this season. Their current coach, Bruno Labbadia, who replaced the duet of Jurgen Klinsmann and Alexander Nouri, is yet to be in charge of a single game.
Regardless, Hertha have shown very little promise over the past 12 months. It was combined with the off-field mediocrity, with the club notably suing star player Salomon Kalou for his questionable video that was uploaded on social media. So it will be interesting to see whether or not Hertha can recover and restore their status as a top team.
The fight for European spots
If the title race wasn’t enough, Bundesliga, this season, has at least four clubs fighting for three Champions League spots. Along with Dortmund and Leipzig, Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen have made strong cases, and one of them is guaranteed to miss out on the top four come the end of the campaign.
While Dortmund and Leipzig are favourites to finish in second and third spot respectively, fourth and fifth-placed Gladbach and Leverkusen are separated by just two points.
As for the Europa League qualifications, the fifth-placed team is guaranteed to qualify for the main stage of the competition directly. However, about five teams are competing for the sixth spot, with sixth-placed Schalke leading tenth-placed 1.FC Koln by just five points.
What’s more interesting is that Koln are among the most in-form teams in the league. As a matter of fact, they were almost destined to be relegated during the halfway point of the campaign.
However, an extraordinary recovery under Markus Gisdol saw the Billygoats register eight wins in 14 matches. So it remains to be seen whether or not they will go on to secure a place in the Europa League qualifying stages next season, especially with clubs like Schalke and Wolfsburg failing to maintain their early-season consistency.
