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The first day of the German first tier match since the suspension of the coronavirus will see two bitter rivals fight in the ‘Revierderby’.
Schalke coach David Wagner believes it is a “great advantage” to restart his Bundesliga campaign after the suspension of the coronavirus with Revierderby against Borussia Dortmund.
The Bundesliga will resume on Saturday after a pause of more than two months due to the pandemic, which has resulted in more than 7,000 deaths in Germany.
Schalke’s trip to Signal Iduna Park is the choice of matches in the first weekend, with the visitors hoping to strengthen their bid for a European place and reduce their bitter rivals’ chances of pushing Bayern Munich into the title race.
The season will resume in empty stadiums and with strict medical protocols for all the necessary assistants, ensuring that there will be a peculiar atmosphere for the remaining matches.
A #Revierderby target for ages # S04 The | #Caligiuri The | # BVBS04 pic.twitter.com/KYJgTwwyfh
– FC Schalke 04 () (@ s04_en) May 13, 2020
While Wagner is disappointed that fans are unable to attend, the former Huddersfield Town boss is confident that starting the season with such a high-profile encounter can only be a good thing.
“The boys have been exemplary recently,” Wagner told reporters on Thursday. “It is an extremely difficult situation for all of us, both privately and professionally.
“It has been difficult, but the boys have made the most of this situation. A great advantage is that we are not only playing an old game, but rather the derby. Although the fans cannot be with us in the stadium, I know they will support us completely. “
The victory for Schalke will ensure they remain sixth, while a victory for Dortmund could see them finish the weekend just one point away from Bayern, who will go to Union Berlin on Sunday.
A Revierderby without fans is a painful reality that fans must embrace, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said.
He said: “A Revierderby with no fans makes your heart bleed. We will need a high level of personal motivation on Saturday without the fans there.
“Everyone should watch the game at home, that’s very important for the restart.”
BVB is four points behind league leader Bayern Munich and had a 0-0 draw on the October trip to Schalke.
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Dortmund coach Lucien Favre acknowledged the unique circumstances surrounding such a high-profile encounter, but cited two things that will help his side: the ability to make five substitutions and the fact that his players have benefited from the services. from a psychologist.
“I am happy that we can switch five players during the game. It is a very good idea and it will be necessary,” he said. “It is great that we now have a psychologist on the team as it is a very special situation for everyone. We train well. We are now at the hotel, everyone is doing their job very well. We have no problem with that.”
Favre confirmed that he would be without Axel Witsel and Emre Can after both players were forced to leave the team’s quarantine bubble for treatment for injuries.
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