Lewy vs Werner, Haaland & Sancho... Things to watch in this weekend's Bundesliga

Finally, we have some football on our TV screens again!

The Bundesliga is back this weekend and promises to fill the giant sporting void in our lives during the current coronavirus crisis.

Action returns with a barnstorming Revierderby on Saturday afternoon as Borussia Dortmund and Jadon Sancho welcome arch-rivals Schalke to the Westfalenstadion while Bayern travel to take on plucky underdogs Union Berlin on Sunday.

With a set of interesting fixtures lined up, we give you some of the things to keep an eye out for.

Lewandowski vs Werner

Everybody wants to see goals and these two are the best in the business in that department in Germany. They sit at the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts with Lewandowski (25) just ahead of Werner (21).

The Pole had an outrageous start to the season, becoming the first player in the league's history to hit double figures after six games, and he also netted in each of the club's first 11 top-flight games.

Werner has been just as impressive, firing RB Leipzig into title contention. Amid the constant links to Liverpool, Manchester United and even Bayern themselves, Werner has terrorised defences with his searing pace and precise finishing.

Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig are all in the hunt for the title but the battle for the Golden Boot promises to be just as fascinating.

The Haaland and Sancho connection

Apart from Liverpool's blockbuster front three, there is probably no attacking line-up more exciting in world football than these two at Dortmund.

Since Dortmund won the race to sign Erling Haaland in January he has scored nine goals in eight Bundesliga appearances, taking his ridiculous tally for the entire campaign to 40 goals in 33 appearances.

Sancho's output in front of goal has also been ridiculous this season. He has 14 goals and 15 assists in 23 Bundesliga matches and they were combining effortlessly before the season was halted.

Their relationship will face a test in the derby against Schalke on Saturday with Haaland yet to play against Dortmund's bitter rivals. Sancho, though, netted the winner in the away fixture last season.

The new 'normal'

Bundesliga football will look very different this weekend as it adapts to the new normal. There have been a very strict set of instructions sent out to players, managers and clubs to follow if matches are to be played out safely.

This week, teams have been in quarantine camps where the ideal scenario was for clubs to have either entire hotels or floors to themselves.

If that has not been possible, squads have had to use their own entrances, lifts and team meeting rooms to avoid contact with other visitors is advised.

Teams have to use multiple buses with enough space for players to sit at least 1.5 metres apart on their way to stadiums. Players and staff must wear masks on arrival. Home players are allowed to travel in their own cars but car sharing is forbidden.

Players are limited to a maximum of 40-minute stints in dressing rooms, where they must keep masks on.

On the field, everyone bar the active players and officials has to wear a face mask, although managers can lower theirs to shout instructions.

Balls will also be disinfected before and during the game and players have to use personalised, disposable bottles. Substitutes must sit at least one seat apart, or in the stands if the benches are too small.

Players can no longer celebrate in groups, high-five or embrace, and they have also been asked not to spit, other than when re-hydrating.

Plenty of British interest

In recent seasons we have seen increasing amounts of under-valued English players head to Germany to kickstart their careers.

Sancho is the obvious example but more and more are taking the plunge. This season there are a number of talented youngsters plying their trade in Germany.

Chelsea's Ethan Ampadu is on loan at RB Leipzig under the tutelage of Julian Nagelsmann, while Wales' Rabbi Matondo is enjoying a breakthrough season with Schalke.

Ademola Lookman ditched Everton permanently last summer and signed with RB Leipzig after a promising loan spell there in 2017-18.

Former West Ham prodigy Reece Oxford represents struggling Augsburg and Jonjoe Kenny, on loan from Goodison Park, will have the tough task of handling Sancho for Schalke this weekend.

Hennes still at home

Due to the strict guidelines that have been put in place in order for the Bundesliga to return, some of the club's mascots will not be able to attend matches.

Perhaps the most famous of them all is Cologne's goat, Hennes IX, who will not be in attendance when they take on Mainz on Sunday at the RheinEnergieStadion.

It will be Cologne's first match without their mascot since 2008 and Hennes will be joined on the sideline by Frankfurt's, Attila the eagle.

Attila normally flies around Frankfurt's 51,000-seater Commerzbank Stadium before home games and helps to whip the crowd into a frenzy but that won't be happening this weekend when they host Monchengladbach.

Young stars in the making

The coming weeks will give Premier League fans a flavour of some of the players being linked with summer moves to their club.

Nobody is more in demand than Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz with Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Chelsea all interested in the 20-year-old No 10.

He has 10 goals and eight assists so far this season, a little short on his numbers from last campaign when he scored 20 goals from midfield.

There is also Bayern's flying full-back Alphonso Davies who tore up Chelsea's defence in their Champions League win at Stamford Bridge earlier this year.

Lethal going forward and equally adept in his defensive duties, the Canadian could make Manchester United regret not signing him when he was about to leave the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Elsewhere, there is American starlet Josh Sargent at Werder Bremen, Leverkusen's January arrival Exequiel Palacios and RB Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku.

A relegation battle humdinger

Saturday afternoon brings us a huge match at the wrong end of the table as basement boys Paderborn travel to take on Fortuna Dusseldorf.

It was always going to be tough for Paderborn to stay in the top flight after winning promotion last season and that has proven to be the case.

Paderborn resume the season bottom with 16 points from 25 games. They are six points off Dusseldorf, who currently occupy the relegation play-off spot and 10 points behind Mainz who are safe as it stands.

Paderborn have to take three points if they are to have any hope of surviving while Dusseldorf could kill off one of their relegation rivals if they get across the line.

David and Goliath

There would not be a bigger mismatch in any of Europe's top five leagues if they were all up and running than Union Berlin against Bayern.

Union are as traditional as they come. The Stadion An der Alten Forsterei holds 22,000 but 18,000 of that is terracing, for example. Unfortunately it will be empty when Bayern show up.

Many predicted their arrival to the Bundesliga would not last long but, currently sat in 11th place, they look likely to still be there next season. It will delight their fans, who once gave blood to save the club from bankruptcy.

It is a far cry from the might of Bayern, who roll up on Sunday looking to claim their eighth consecutive league title.

It seemed for a while Bayern would be too far off the pace, given the underwhelming start they made under Niko Kovac. The Croatian was sacked and in came Hansi Flick, who has now been named the club's new permanent manager.

With Flick, Davies and Thomas Muller all given new contracts during the shut down and Miroslav Klose brought in to coach the first team, Bayern are in a good place and on track to win the title again. Given how they were playing before the shutdown, you would not bet against them in the Champions League if it were to conclude.