After nearly two months without football in the major European leagues due to the coronavirus pandemic, the German Bundesliga will finally return on Saturday, May 16.

The Bundesliga is back.

While the Premier League remains on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bundesliga is returning to football stadiums in Germany.

Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic says the club have implored fans not to turn up outside stadiums once the 2019-20 Bundesliga season resumes.

The Bundesliga could be the first top-flight football competition in the world to return from an enforced break due to coronavirus, and may become a test case for how other leagues approach a return to normality.

The Everton right-back joined Schalke on loan in pre-season and hopes to play against Borussia Dortmund on 16 May

As Jonjoe Kenny remembers the sights and smells that defined his childhood it is tempting, more so at a time such as this, to close your eyes and travel back with him. He can tell what, with a few bumps here and there, is the textbook story of a local boy made good, and Everton games were the focal points throughout. Kenny grew up in Kirkdale, virtually on the doorstep of Goodison Park, and the glimpse of a buzzing County Road brought the kind of sensory assault that would leave thousands pining today.

“It’s about a five-minute walk round the corner,” Kenny says. “On matchdays going to the stadium it was always busy in our area. The chippies were packed, the pubs were packed, and when you’re walking to the game through it all there’s no better feeling. As a kid growing up, it was such a big thing.”

Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning talk to Jacqui Oatley about the ups and downs of being the first woman to commentate on Match of the Day and her love of Wolves. Also, Archie Rhind-Tutt on the impending return of the Bundesliga

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Max and Barry talk with Jacqui Oatley about her love of football, how her career came about and how she learned to deal with the enormous level of scrutiny which came with becoming the first woman to commentate on Match of the Day.

• Premier League can resume home and away, says Paul Barber
• ‘If Germany can, why can’t we make it happen’

Brighton’s chief executive, Paul Barber, has urged Premier League clubs to follow the Bundesliga’s lead and rethink proposals to complete the season at neutral venues.

“If Germany can, why can’t we?” said Barber, who believes the English top flight could resume behind closed doors with home and away matches, as planned in Germany from 16 May.

German professional football is going to return to action on May 16 to 18 with its first and second tier getting back underway. League association CEO Christian Seifert announced the permitted re-start is planned without games on Friday evening but contains two rounds of matches during the week. "We wanted to follow the wording in the orders of politics strictly," the 50-year-old commented, reports Xinhua news agency. All games will be run behind closed doors.

The season was interrupted mid-March due to the coronavirus crisis. Nine rounds remain plus one postponed match. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 16 federal state prime ministers gave the green light for a restart on Wednesday based on a comprehensive hygiene concept. Most of the 36 clubs voted for the earliest possible start. At least two sides, such as Werder Bremen and FSV Mainz 05, demanded a start one week later to gain time for additional training.

Seifert announced the season is to be continued with matchday 26, which contains the delicate derby of Borussia Dortmund against the FC Schalke 04 on Saturday. Six games are notified for Saturday, two on Sunday and one on Monday evening. All match-days contain a so-called late-game in the evening. The table leaders Bayern Munich face an away game against league newcomer Union Berlin Saturday evening.

The season's last games are planned to take place on June 27 to 28. Seifert indicated the Champions League final could be run around the end of August. The German Cup has to be rescheduled. To address parts of the demands of Bremen, their game against Bayern Leverkusen is scheduled for Monday on May 18. The federal state of Bremen was one of the last spots allowing training in smaller groups.

All 36 clubs took up full team training this Thursday. From Saturday on, all clubs attend an obligated seven-day-long quarantine. Players, staff, and family members will undergo a diverting number of tests. Referees are going to be tested by next week. Seifert said football concept could be a blueprint for other team-sports, fighting sports and athletics as well as for orchestras and theaters.

Clubs and association are in close contact with fan groups to avoid gatherings around the arenas. Therefore, negotiations take place with pay-tv broadcasters to provide certain games on free tv.

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Mario Gotze has confirmed he is ready to consider a move away from Borussia Dortmund this summer. The exciting 27-year old midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season.

There have been over 5,900 Covid-19 deaths in Germany - but a quick return under controlled circumstances could save Germany's top-flight from going under, according to Dortmund chief Watzke.

The Premier League are watching closely as they try to push ahead with Project Restart, which would see the campaign come back on June 12.

The Bundesliga's tentative plans to restart the season next month have got us dreaming of better days ahead, and should they return to action as planned it could well be the perfect televised tonic for UK fans.

Leaked documents in Germany have revealed the plans to equip all the players with masks to be worn throughout the entirety of a match.

KIT HOLDEN: With the Olympics and the Euros suspended and no end in sight to the freeze on other football leagues, there will be millions hoping to get some kind of fix from Germany.

A document from the German football federation has mapped out how the game can return safely, how players will train and play matches as well as what happens if someone contracts Covid-19.

The Bundesliga's plan to return to action on May 9 is facing opposition from a German scientist. Germany's top tier plans to resume next month behind closed doors.

Bayern Munich players will return to training on Monday for the first time since the Bundesliga campaign was suspended. The top flight has been on hold since March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The league's chief Christian Seifert did suggest last week that the current plan is for games to return to all 36 grounds in the top two divisions by the start of May.

German politicians have suggested that the Bundesliga could return as early as May 9. The league was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak with nine matches still to play.

Matches will continue behind closed doors with a maximum of 322 people in and around stadiums for top-flight Bundesliga matches and 270 for second-tier games.

KIT HOLDEN: With the Olympics and the Euros suspended and no end in sight to the freeze on other football leagues, there will be millions hoping to get some kind of fix from Germany.

Clubs in the German top flight have returned to training in the hope that the rest of the season can be finished off - providing Chancellor Angela Merkel gives the green light for action to resume.

Bayern Munich were back in training on Thursday, although they won't be returning to action as soon as hoped, with the start date of the Bundesliga pushed back to at least May 16. 

KIT HOLDEN IN GERMANY: On Monday morning, the Bundesliga waited with bated breath for news out of Cologne. When it came, German football breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The German government has given the green light for the return of the Bundesliga in the second half of May. But how will they get the show back on the road?

KIT HOLDEN IN GERMANY: The restart may be good news for football-starved fans across the world, but for the stars of Germany's top flight, it means a sudden return to full-time work.

Cologne have ramped up checks following the three positive tests, a development that will alert the Premier League as they monitor how Germany are attempting to resume football.

A potential switch to Germany and the Bundesliga appears could be a possibility with the 56-year-old looking to master the language having been out of work since December.

The former Manchester United and Leicester goalkeeper accidentally caught goalscorer Daniel Gordon in a painful area during the Bundesliga 2 match, earning a red card for his low blow.

BUNDESLIGA PREVIEW: The first 'Klassiker' derby of the season is upon us with the title race set for a huge shake up. A crunch meeting of relegation candidates also awaits. Sportsmail examines.

RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner is on Lewandowski's tail in both the race to be atop the German top-flight scoring charts and in following suit by becoming a striker at the peak of his powers.

The Manchester City star is believed to be closing in on a return to his home country, with reports in Germany on Wednesday claiming that he wants to join Bayern Munich in January.

The 29-year-old has had to bide his time to be given the opportunity to show what he is capable of. That chance has arisen at Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig and he has seized it with both hands.

May 9 (Reuters) - The resumption of the German Bundesliga next weekend amid the COVID-19 crisis will give hope to other European leagues that they can also...

It might only be week three of the new Bundesliga season but some of the usual suspects are already setting the pace. Here, Sportsmail previews the upcoming fixtures ahead of the weekend's action.

The 32-year-old, known in his early coaching days as the 'Baby Mourinho', has a well-earned reputation for attention to detail and will use practice games this weekend to get used to the peculiarities.

Erling Braut Haaland emulated his father by scoring against Liverpool at Anfield last week. Another youngster looking to follow in his father's footsteps is Marcus Thuram.

The German government gave the green light to the Bundesliga to return on Wednesday and the German FA is set to announce on Thursday they will resume next weekend.

KIT HOLDEN IN GERMANY: The restart may be good news for football-starved fans across the world, but for the stars of Germany's top flight, it means a sudden return to full-time work.

BT have exclusive rights to the Bundesliga in the UK and, with the German government giving the go-ahead for the top-flight's return, the broadcaster could remove games from behind their paywall.

Football is about to return in just over a week as the Bundesliga returns on May 16 behind closed doors. Dr. Thomas Frolich, 61, has suggested to BILD that throw-ins should be taken instead of corners.

The league's chief Christian Seifert did suggest last week that the current plan is for games to return to all 36 grounds in the top two divisions by the start of May.

Clubs in the German top flight have returned to training in the hope that the rest of the season can be finished off - providing Chancellor Angela Merkel gives the green light for action to resume.

A restart of the Bundesliga could be pushed back a week to May 16 as clubs nervously wait for Chancellor Angela Merkel's verdict. 

The Premier League are watching closely as they try to push ahead with Project Restart, which would see the campaign come back on June 12.

Matches will continue behind closed doors with a maximum of 322 people in and around stadiums for top-flight Bundesliga matches and 270 for second-tier games.

There had been hopes that the German leagues would be given approval to play again as early as May 9 this week as the country continues its battle against the coronavirus crisis.

A leaked document on Wednesday said Germany football's return would be delayed with suggestions that the first fixtures could only be held after a two-week quarantine of all teams.