Bayern head to Covid-19 risk zone for Super Cup

Bayern Munich can lift yet more silverware when they face Sevilla tonight for the Uefa Super Cup, but travelling German fans have been warned to think again before flying to Budapest and head coach Hansi Flick has questioned whether the match should go ahead amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Champions League winners head to Hungary on a 22-match winning streak, stretching back to February, which has seem them sweep up Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles.

Bayern opened the new Bundesliga season last Friday with an 8-0 hammering of Schalke with Germany winger Leroy Sane scoring on his Munich debut and declaring the “whole team showed how hungry we are”.

Their appetite for more silverware can be sated with two trophies up for grabs in the coming week as they also face Dortmund for the German Super Cup on September 30.  However Covid-19 has cast a shadow over tonight’s showdown as Budapest has been declared a risk zone by the German government due to a high infection rate.

‘Think again’ 
Flick admits he “does not quite understand” why Uefa insist on the match still taking place there, “but we are not the ones who make the decision”. 

Supporters must either be tested for Covid-19 before and after the trip to Budapest or quarantine for two weeks.
Both clubs have set up test centres in their respective cities in a bid to reduce the risk of Thursday’s match becoming a ‘super spreader’ event. 

“We must be very, very careful that we don’t risk a new form of football-Ischgl,” said the politician, referring to the now notorious Austrian ski resort where thousands of holidaymakers were infected with the virus at the beginning of the epidemic in Europe.

Bayern’s senior bosses, including chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, were heavily criticised for ignoring social distancing and sitting in a close group to watch Friday’s demolition of Schalke in Munich.

Bayern’s star striker Robert Lewandowski, who netted a penalty and set up two more goals on Friday, trained for just 12 minutes on Tuesday to allow him to get over an ankle knock.

Sevilla come into the match short of match fitness having been given the first two weekends of La Liga off after winning the Europa League.

Ibrahim Amadou, Roque Mesa, Aleix Vidal and Joris Gnagnon, who are all expected to leave the club, did not train in Julen Lopetegui’s final session on Tuesday.

Sevilla have re-signed Ivan Rakitic, who is likely to start against Bayern.