To most football fans it seems much longer than two months since football leagues around Europe were forced to close down, and even now it could be a while until we are back to anything approaching “normal”.
So, the return of the German Bundesliga to our television screens this weekend will be like a breath of fresh air, and we are all waiting and hoping other major leagues will be in a position to follow suit safely and soon.
Some leagues, of course, have already pulled the plug on the 2019-20 campaign, the highest profile of which was France’s Ligues 1 and 2, which were decided by average points to make PSG the unsurprising French champions.
Conversely, the Netherlands decided to expunge their season completely, resulting in an asterisked season that includes no champions, nor promotion and relegation.
Of the others, most leagues have been postponed indefinitely with provisional hopes of completing this season, but obviously time is becoming critical as the potential gap between this season and the forthcoming 2020-21 campaign is reduced.
The English Premier League and Serie A appear to be making positive noises about a possible mid-June resumption, while Spanish clubs are also returning to some kind of training schedule.
Of course, all of these leagues will be looking towards the Bundesliga as the pioneer for football's new normal. Clearly stringent steps will need to be taken to ensure that players, officials, media personnel and background staff all feel safe, while at the same time keeping the the competitive integrity of the game intact,
- Games will be played behind closed doors, with minimal media personnel allowed in
- Players and staff to be tested multiple times to ensure constant monitoring of potential outbreaks
- Onfield medical attention for injuries kept to a minimum, and PPE equipment used where necessary
- Testing and PPE utilised on the provision that it does not compete with frontline medical needs
- Social distancing maintained where possible (eg, no handshakes and no group goal celebrations, etc)
- Hygiene standards maximised, disinfecting all communal areas and equipment (balls, flags, etc)
Germany has set the benchmark for its comparative success in managing the Covid-19 outbreak, and it will be the same as it leads the way into re-introducing top-flight football.
What we’re really looking forward to is the normalcy of watching some top-quality live competitive football again, and with that in mind, it’s easy to forget that the season was curtailed just as the Bundesliga was poised for an exciting climax.
Borussia Dortmund (9/2 to win the Bundesliga title) are currently second behind Bayern Munich (who remain 2/9 favourites to retain their crown), but they get the chance to close the 4-point deficit to just a single point if they beat Schalke on Saturday, while Bayern have to wait until Sunday for what promises to be a tricky trip to Union Berlin.
We should remember, of course, that after a two-month hiatus the form book will almost inevitably not quite read the same as it did in early March, so there might well be some surprise results and some decent betting value to be found along the way.
That said, quality will always tell in the long run, and that shouldn’t have evaporated in the space of eight weeks - but the absence of crowds, and the introduction of other measures might just upset some teams more than others, and it should certainly do no harm exploring any value in this weekend’s underdogs.
If you think Bayern Munich might be a little rusty after the lay-off, then you can get a juicy 11/1 on Union Berlin producing a shock win, while Schalke are 9/2 to cause a similar upset at Dortmund.
If you need any guidance, then you can always visit our dedicated Football page, where you will find that many of our leading football tipsters have already resumed their services to include this busier weekend.