'Why change a winning team?' Outside the stadium there are 109 permitted people (50 security, 14 TV Crew, 37 VAR/TV technicians and eight ground staff). Hand-sanitising stations are in every room used in the stadium. FC Bayern have the chance to win their first silverware of the new season in the UEFA Super Cup... You can become a club member on January 1st or on July 1st each year. The same goes for the referees and their two assistants. The task force's plan lays out the strict stipulations. The first installment of three from the €254m ($274m) was paid May 2 and gave clubs financial breathing space, with sources telling ESPN some teams across the two leagues had already guaranteed that unpaid revenue to various creditors. The French midfielder brings the ball down and fires a powerful shot on target, but Trapp is well placed and grabs it. "It is a risk because no one was in this situation before," Bobic said. Goalkeepers must refrain from shouting instructions from between the posts, while referees are instructed to remind players of the guidelines if they're deemed out of compliance. But clubs are asked to refrain from installing any kind of sound system that would pump in artificial crowd noise during the game. They've also been instructed to travel to the stadium on the day of the game rather than staying nearby the night before. Abraham goes down under a challenge from Lukebakio...the visiting captain limps away after getting to his feet. There's definitely less of a gap between the two in the second half, but Frankfurt still have a pretty handy cushion. Substitutes should leave at least one or two seats empty between each other in the dugout. During these early hours, 32 security guards make sure that no one enters the area without permission. It will be interesting first one to see when it's played how kind of football is received. "We talked a lot with our own fans at Frankfurt and said listen guys, don't show up at the stadium -- if you show up at the stadium, we will lose this game because the rules are very strict," Bobic says. This stat, overwhelmingly in the visitors' favour, tells you all you need to know about Hertha's problems in creating chances. Bundesliga. Frankfurt have them shackled for now. The focus is on minimising the spread of the virus and clubs will look to their local authorities for guidance should players or staff become exposed to someone who is positive for the coronavirus. These rules apply to everyone who lives in the player's household. All referees will be tested the day prior to matches and are asked to refrain from posting on their social media accounts. Same XI that started in Bremen start again tonight, and you have to say, why not? Their CEO, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, praised the DFL's (Deutsche Fußball Liga, the body in charge of the German football leagues) decision to play the remainder of the league's fixtures, saying the decision "ensures that the sporting decisions are made on the pitch and not in the boardroom." • Euro 2020: Postponed until 2021 They are given two tests -- nose and throat -- to help prevent false results and arrive in the lab as one PCR (polymerase chain reaction test). Bundesliga Matchday 17. These two have been excellent for their sides tonight. The Serbia international, so vital down the left for Franfurt, looks to be struggling - it was a strong but fair challenge from Torunarigha, but Kostic felt it. If the locker room area is small (e.g. Around 100 referees and assistant referees will be tested next week prior to the return of the league and if an official tests positive, a new referee will be appointed. The Frankfurt coach takes a trip to the edge of his technical area to give some instructions to his side...already. Andre Silva has scored nine goals in his last 11 Bundesliga matches since the coronavirus-enforced hiatus, as well as 10 in his last 16. Some players trained in masks. • Serie A: Set for June 20 start He said if the leagues were cancelled, they would lose in region of $800 million (€750m). - "YNWA is banned here": Bundesliga clubs pitch to PL fans for support Huge let-off for Frankfurt. Not lasting damage, it seems, fortunately. ESPN talked to league sources and clubs about various plans and contingencies for how they will resume play. Hat-trick heroes Serge Gnabry and Andrej Kramaric are among the players, who made it into our first Bundesliga Team of the Week of the new season. Allianz Arena, Munich. The hosts have got no rhythm going forward as yet - quite a surprise for a team that has been goal-happy so far this season. For the rest of the season, anyone in a player's household is subject to voluntary testing. Swap shirts? Will the players go into quarantine before the season starts? Take part now and be in with a chance of winning! This includes players, coaches, referees, camera crews, anti-doping officials, stewards, security, ground staff and ball boys. These specifics are still being discussed but the Bundesliga told the clubs on Friday that players are not allowed to celebrate together, exchange high fives or embrace. It annoys me that we don't see things through calmly.". 7 facts on the Bundesliga matchday 2 game against Hoffenheim. And then, when it hopefully goes well, everybody can say at the end, you know, 'typical made in Germany. Hertha have been very much second-best. The players will rehydrate from individual, disposable bottles. To replicate a behind-closed-doors atmosphere, they've been training at their old, empty Bruchwegstadion ground, which they left in 2011 for the Opel Arena. In matchday weeks, the players are tested the day prior a match and on another occasion during the week (in double match weeks, players will be tested before both matches). They also need to keep a note of all the people they are in contact with and if someone breaks the social distancing rules, then players are recommended to go back into quarantine until they have been tested. In the case of a positive test, the team doctor informs the local health authority and the DFL while also isolating the player. In general, the DFL advises to use as many available rooms as possible to prepare for the match. • Champions League: Suspended indefinitely At Bayer Leverkusen, the players receive a message every morning on their phone, asking five questions about how they are feeling. "Short contact with elbow or foot" is permitted. For Bundesliga games, the DFL has divided these 322 personnel into three zones: 98 people are allowed pitch-side (22 players, three photographers, four ball boys, four security, five officials, 15 VAR technicians, three hygiene staff, four medical staff, 18 substitutes and 20 coaching staff). They've adopted a "street soccer" mentality anchored on how to beat your opponent in one-on-one situations, handling the insults and remembering those days in the park when you played when you were young. So, we have to start from [scratch]. The Eagles barely got off the ground against Bielefeld on the opening day of the season. The DFL has prepared a "dynamic personnel plan" which says a maximum of 322 people are permitted in and around the stadiums for Bundesliga matches. Ilsanker wins the ball back, and when the ball goes out to Toure, his cross finds Dost, who gets up well but can't direct the header. As this is all going on, players and coaches are getting ready for their departure from the hotel or training facility. We need to defend better...We need quality in the final third. Managers, however, must wear masks though they are allowed to lower it to shout instructions if they are keeping a safe distance from others. The FC Bayern Women represent the club in the Bundesliga and Women's Champions League. Goals Diff. They required permission from their local state, and all had to adhere to the 11-point list of guidelines handed down from the DFL. If that's not possible, the fourth official will step in. • Sources: Barca kid to join Man Utd On Saturday, May 16, the eyes of the sporting world will be on the German Bundesliga as it returns to action after a 61-day hiatus due to the coronavirus. - and his cross, which was aimed at Cordoba, is turned into his own goal by Hinteregger. "So that's the biggest problem and it's a question mark." When a long Pekarik cross from the right is played back across goal, the Belgian forward's snap shot is goal bound before Trapp throws himself to his left to make a top-drawer parry. If they are symptom-free but still test positive, they will liaise with the team doctor to whether they can continue exercising on their own. They have barely crossed the halfway line, which is also testament to Frankfurt's pressing. [The players] are not scared but from the football side, it is a risk.". While the Hertha fans boo as Tousart lies injured, Frankfurt go forward, and Silva gets in front of his marker to meet Toure's near-post cross - his header flies narrowly over. • A-League: Set to return on July 16 Beautiful goal, and Frankfurt hit cruising altitude. Bayern's striker sensation has shown a different side of himself in recent games, unselfishly turning... Focus on Supercup – Bayern training on Monday. The DFL carried out 1,724 tests in late April/early May across Bundesliga/2. If the area is spacious -- like in Bayern's Allianz Arena, for example -- then players should be spread out as much as possible. Thursday's test didn't show that I am positive and that is why there will be another test tomorrow." Match officials will get changed in one shared dressing room but must follow hygiene and distancing rules. Anyone deemed a risk will be sent home. He struck twice in the 4-1 win away to Hertha in June. Depending on their answers, they are then granted permission to go to training where on arrival, their temperature is checked. "It is a short time [until] the first match and you have no preseason or anything like that. That was a half of two games: Hertha struggling to get theirs going, Frankfurt's plan working to perfection. It began on 16 August 2019 and concluded on 27 June 2020. The visitors were too good in the first half but were relatively uncomfortable in the second as they needed Trapp to pull out some saves. Players will not be giving any interviews in the mixed zone -- a typical practice -- with press conferences instead conducted via video call. The Frankfurt starting XI's average age is 29.4 years old - the last time they were that 'experienced' was on 30 January, 2010, when they averaged 29.5 years in a 2-1 defeat to Cologne. The Bavarians were disappointed after the 4-1 defeat to TSG Hoffenheim. Werder Bremen, who are in a relegation battle, were one of the teams who had to wait to return to training as the Bremen State took longer to give them permission to train in small groups. This echoed what the DFL executive committee said in April: "We do not want an economic crisis to lead to structural damage that could be irreparable and radically change the face of German professional football." That's the Austria international defender's third own goal for Frankfurt, and the fifth in his Bundesliga career. By Rune Gjerulff. 2: 0 (0:0) VfL Wolfsburg. - Coronavirus rule change: Teams now allowed five subs Santiago Ascacibar and Javairo Dilrosun are the only absentees for Hertha's first home outing of the new Bundesliga term as they look to build on their flying start. Less. Hertha Berlin are in their normal team hotel in Berlin's city centre and will travel to their training ground near the Olympiastadion. Sow will give the visitors more energy in the middle of the park as they try to see this one out. Kamada collects Torunarigha's miscued clearance on the right and finds Rode on the edge of the box - he bends a sublime shot into the far corner to make it three. Naturally, all our FC Bayern fan clubs appear on our website. Silva puffs out his cheeks, looks at the goal...flashes a shot past Schwolow, who went the right way but couldn't live with the Portuguese forward's power. DFL CEO Seifert said the Bundesliga is "on parole" and Bobic agrees. With Bayern Munich leading the Bundesliga by four points, they are the team to beat. The FC Bayern Legends team was founded in the summer of 2006 with the aim of bringing former players... FC Bayern were condemned to their first defeat this season, losing 4-1 at Hoffenheim on Sunday ... FC Bayern beat Sevilla 2-1 after extra-time in the UEFA Super Cup. They all have their temperature checked on arrival. In fact, very late. Fans are also allowed to send banners to their club the day before the match. Fredi Bobic, Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director, told ESPN exclusively on Friday that at one stage, it looked like it was "50/50" over whether the league would return or be cancelled. Verstraete, whose girlfriend manages a previous heart condition, said the club's call not to put everyone the entire team in quarantine "is a bit bizarre," adding, "my head is not on soccer. Frankfurt forward Bas Dost has won all four of his previous meetings with Hertha and has scored five goals in those matches. Of course, it will take time for teams to get up to speed. Kamada has been the difference in the final third for Frankfurt though. Cunha has scored seven goals in 13 appearances since joining Hertha in January. Show more. For home games, players are permitted to drive their own cars to the stadium though car sharing is not allowed. With the Bundesliga set for a May 16 return, Jan Aage Fjortoft joins Gab & Juls to assess the title race. The 2019–20 Bundesliga was the 57th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. The club said all three were symptom-free and training would proceed as normal, but it caused controversy with Cologne's Birger Verstraete breaking ranks on Belgian TV where he questioned the club's policy. Head coach, Hans-Dieter Flick, and his assistants use poles and pylons to direct the players and player dummies as opponents. While other teams were back in contact-less training, head coach, Florian Kohfeldt, said his club had been left in "limbo" and hoped it would not lead to a "disadvantage" in the future. "[The players] are so creative -- I am excited to see what will happen if somebody scores," Bobic says. Balls are disinfected before and during the match, while a maximum of four ball boys are permitted at the match; all must be at least 16 years old. Forward Ragnar Ache and left-back Jetro Willems have both returned to training following injuries that kept them out of the season opener, but - while Ache could be in contention to make the squad for the trip to Berlin - Willems is still some time off featuring after over eight months out. And so getting the games back on television, even without spectators, was established as a priority, with the DFL launching a "Task Force Sports Medicine/ Special Game Operations" on March 31. They are also paying for the tests. They were told to respect social distancing and keep any non-essential time at the training ground to a minimum. The visitors get us going in the capital. That's the first time in his 10 Bundesliga goals that Rode has scored with his left foot - and it's one for the family album too. Once the players exit their changing rooms, they have to leave the required space in the tunnel. Players should only spend between 30-40 minutes in the locker room area and during that time, they still have to stay at least five feet apart and wear face masks. [All] 36 clubs, they will start [next weekend]. That'll be a second yellow of the half and the game for Frankfurt as Toure leaps in to challenge Tousart. With mass gatherings banned in Germany until Aug. 31, there were other concerns over supporters congregating outside the grounds, like the scenes outside the Parc des Princes back on March 11 when PSG played Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors in the Champions League. Teams will go into a seven-day training camp and isolation on May 8 and will be regularly tested as they restart full-contact training before matches resume on May 16. Players are not allowed to have physical contact with neighbours or public, must respect the six-foot social distancing rule, are not allowed visitors at home and are prohibited from using public transport: Union Berlin's Subotic is one of the few players who still travels everywhere by this method. The sessions were non-contact; Manuel Neuer and the rest of the goalkeepers trained in a separate group, only interacting with the outfield players during shooting practise. Results are then given to the team's head doctor at 10am on the morning of the matches. Hertha have one back..they couldn't, could they? The latest updates for Hertha Berlin - Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 2 in the 2020/2021 Bundesliga season - plus a complete list of all fixtures. Not good news for fans of the Australia international - he's got a neck injury, and so misses out. If the benches are too small to host all of them and the coaching staff, clubs can use seating in the stands in order to maintain safe spacing. This is where the DFL's task force comes into play, which details in depth the social distancing, hygiene and practicalities of limiting contact where necessary. • La Liga: Restarted on June 11 German Bundesliga resumes after coronavirus outbreak: What matchday, player testing and safety will look like play How the Bundesliga plans to deal with cases of COVID-19 (2:11) Hertha get forward and fire a first cross into the Frankfurt area, but Kevin Trapp shows a safe pair of hands. • Serie A re-start on hold amid review After the first round of Bundesliga fixtures, the Bundesliga matchday 2 schedule is set to go underway, with the first match of the schedule seeing Hertha Berlin take on Eintracht Frankfurt. But Bobic explains the strictest measures are in place to prevent fans from turning up. • Ligue 1: PSG declared champions Hopefully they will do it positively. Table matchday P W D L Go. If a match takes place at 3.30 p.m., preparation starts at 8 in the morning when eight ground keepers arrive at the stadium to take care of the pitch. But Dortmund police told ESPN they are confident no fan groups will show up. By mid-April it offered a 51-page blueprint for how behind-closed-doors matches would take place. There are a further 115 personnel permitted in the stands (10 security, four medical staff, seven league representatives, two anti-doping officials, five stadium operators, eight team staff, eight from the home team delegation, four from the away team delegation, five hygiene staff, two firemen, four police, 10 written media, 23 from TV companies, four analysts and 19 VAR/TV technicians). Boyata lunges in on Silva inside the home box...and that will be a penalty. Fabulous run by Torunarigha down the left - what is he doing there? Evan N'Dicka is another who we won't see in action for a little while, having picked up an ankle injury on the eve of the new season. "Category two" people are those at a low risk and who have had no direct or indirect contact for more than 15 minutes with an infected individual. • MLS: Set for July 8 start Germany's Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs drafted a paper a few weeks ago that discussed players wearing masks throughout a match, but this was deemed impractical because they need to breathe freely during play. The Dortmund-Schalke 04 Revierderby takes place on the opening weekend and is usually played out in front of more than 80,000 fans at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park home. Before home games, Bayern will use the Infinity Hotel in Unterschleissheim, the largest hotel and conference center in Southern Germany. FC Bayern play TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Sunday in the first Bundesliga away game of 2020/21. Bas Dost just loves playing Hertha! Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only). While Premier League is strongly considering finishing the season in neutral venues, the DFL only gave it brief thought. The DFL was concerned about matches being played in front of empty stands. The official protocol from the DFL states: "In the case of positive test results, the decision about the measures to be taken lies with the local health authorities." Bobic agrees injuries are a concern. Frankfurt with four - all off target - Hertha's one was on target, but a sign of the visitors' domination so far. Deserved lead, you have to say. What about the in-game conditions from set-pieces? 85' Joshua Zirkzee 89' Serge Gnabry FC Bayern Munich. The players and staff are tested twice a week. File -- In this Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 file photo Bayern's Thiago plays during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and … Related stories Bobic's Eintracht Frankfurt have already played behind closed doors twice in the Europa League this season. (2:11). Cunha has a shot blocked as blue-and-white shirts find some verve in the Frankfurt final third, but they can't make anything of the corner. Usain Bolt tore round this blue track in 2009 but Hertha have not shown anything like as much verve in the opening 18 minutes. Cunha had nicked the ball away and Rode crunched down on his foot..and gets a yellow card. And gets plenty of applause for his efforts...Cunha lines up the set-piece, and Frankfurt make not so much a meal but a real feast of getting it away before Kamada eventually boots it upfield. 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I'm sure we can manage all these guidelines what we got in this special handbook from the league and from the federation. Three Hertha defenders go for the same ball, it drops for Frankfurt, and when a low cross comes in, Dost gets his feet in a muddle - if he'd made contact, Schwolow would have been struggling, surely. But there are still unknowns. Cunha bends a free-kick in from the left..it's off a Frankfurt head and then Lukebakio and comes desperately close to finding the far corner of the net. They are told to also avoid exhausting physical activities. "The test was done on Thursday around 4 p.m. and before that we had been together constantly from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We did fitness work together, trained together. Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss how the Bundesliga is planning to deal with coronavirus cases within the league. Spit if needed? - Cologne's goat mascot barred from matches by new hygiene rules. Other than that, it's business as usual after the prematch coin toss. The Belgium international centre-back wears the armband for Hertha tonight after his teammates voted for him to lead the side. They are asked to frequently disinfect their hands. Bundesliga 2020/21, Matchday 2 – results: Hertha BSC - Frankfurt: 1-3 Gladbach - Union Berlin: 1-1 Mainz - Stuttgart: 1-4 Leverkusen - RB Leipzig: 1-1 Bielefeld - FC Köln: 1-0 Augsburg - Dortmund: 2-0 Schalke 04 - Werder Bremen: 1-3 Hoffenheim - Bayern: 4-1 Freiburg - Wolfsburg: 1-1. Players and staff have to stay roughly five feet from each other and wear face masks when they get to the stadium. He will also not caution the coach if he takes off his mask to shout something to players on the pitch, as long as they maintain their social distance. Schwolow had very little to do other than pick the ball out of his net three times, and Barkok could have made it four. Will the players wear masks during the game itself? If players circle the ref or get too near to him, he will remind them to keep the distance, but not book them straight away. Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and others to bring you the latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines. in Schalke's Veltins-Arena) then the clubs have to determine different access paths. The fourth official must also wear one; so too the coaches and bench players if they cannot keep the required social distance. There's surely no way back for Hertha now. What will a matchday look like under these conditions? - Stream new episodes of ESPN FC Monday-Friday on ESPN+ Football as a sport is facing unprecedented financial strain as clubs cope with the absence of matchday income. At noon, police officers, paramedics, fire fighters and the first few members of the team staff, among others, arrive. On Thursday, Union Berlin defender Neven Subotic, 31, said returning to full team training felt strange. Watch: Following Sunday's match at Hoffenheim, Bayern turned their attentions to the Supercup against... Manuel Neuer: We don't want to make excuses. The sessions finish with intense sprints, but there's no time to shower afterwards as they are closed in the training ground. Well, there'll be three at half-time for Hertha. There have been concerns that DFL would divert testing capacity away from the general public due to the required 25,000 tests that Bundesliga players and personnel would need in order to finish the season.