Berlin (AP) – runner-up RB Leipzig is already under pressure on the second match day, defending champion FC Bayern wants to use the momentum from victory in the Supercup. The second Bundesliga matchday will once again be accompanied by the Corona issue.
PRESSURE: Nobody at RB Leipzig had imagined it that way. After the surprising opening defeat in Mainz, the Saxons are already under pressure on Friday evening (8.30 p.m. / DAZN) against the league leaders VfB Stuttgart. “There is no excuse on Friday evening. We have to be ready, ”said coach Jesse Marsch. You need more clarity in every position. That is why there were many one-on-one conversations about positional play, reported Marsch. Another defeat would be a hard blow. After the 2nd match day at the latest, RB always had points on the credit side in its Bundesliga history.
VIEWERS: The league is fighting to return to full stands. In the debate as to whether only those who have been vaccinated and recovered will be allowed into the stadiums in the future, clubs such as Hertha BSC and Bayer Leverkusen are starting vaccination campaigns before their home games. Even if professionals and officials raved about the better-filled ranks on the first match day, the industry longs for the normal state before Corona. “In the long run, that’s not enough, back and forth,” said Hertha managing director Fredi Bobic about the 25,000 fans who are allowed to go to the Berlin Olympic Stadium on Saturday (3.30 p.m. / Sky) against VfL Wolfsburg.
BOTTLENECK: The personnel situation of FSV Mainz 05 could relax after the prescribed corona quarantine for eleven players in time for the away game on Saturday (3.30 p.m. / Sky) at VfL Bochum. At least there is a chance that some of the professionals will end their corona-related isolation on Friday. This applies to the first-degree contact person who is in quarantine if they can show a negative PCR test – and to striker Karim Onisiwo, who was one of the professionals who tested positive and whose quarantine period has expired before the game. The Mainz team won 1-0 against RB Leipzig on the first day of the match despite the forced break of eleven professionals.
RHINE DUEL: For Gladbach’s coach Adi Hüttter, the duel at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday evening (8.30 p.m. / Sky) is an “absolute key game”. The Rhenish duel – this is not a derby for both fan camps – could set the direction for the teams early in the season. Hütter is particularly happy because he is meeting an old friend in Leverkusen’s new coach Gerardo Seoane. Hütter once left the Youngs Boys Bern as Swiss champions for Frankfurt. Seoane took over and made Bern a series champion. “Of course I’m happy to see Gerry. He deserved to find his way into the Bundesliga. ”
TITLE SCALE: The first win and first title win with new coach Julian Nagelsmann should of course give Bayern a boost in the league as well. The 3: 1 in the Supercup duel with Borussia Dortmund should be the start of a successful series. On Sunday (5.30 p.m. / DAZN) 1. FC Köln will come to Munich. The clear goal is “to start with three points at home,” said national player Niklas Süle. For the first time since March 2020, 20,000 fans can again be in the stands in the Allianz Arena.
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