Just 300 home fans will be allowed to watch in Dortmund, whose boss Zorc urged his side not to keep their distance
\nNews Desk
\nCANBERRA
\nBorussia Dortmund have been told to forget about social distancing and get stuck into arch-rivals Schalke in Saturday\u2019s derby as they look to challenge RB Leipzig at the top of the Bundesliga.
\nSports director Michael Zorc was fuming as Dortmund crashed to a 3-1 defeat to Lazio in Rome on Tuesday in their opening Champions League game after standing back from too many tackles.
\nCovid-19 has cast a shadow over the Bundesliga this week with Werder Bremen, who host Hoffenheim Sunday, cancelling training Thursday after an unnamed player tested positive.
\nSecond-place Bayern Munich will face Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday without Germany winger Serge Gnabry who sat out Wednesday\u2019s 4-0 thumping of Atletico Madrid after a positive test for the virus.
\nAs Germany recorded record high figures of the coronavirus on Thursday, most league games will be played behind closed doors.
\nJust 300 home fans will be allowed to watch in Dortmund, whose boss Zorc urged his side not to keep their distance when defending against second-from-bottom Schalke.
\n\u201cWe observed the distancing rules when defending\u201d against Lazio, \u201cin exemplary fashion. We want to see a reaction,\u201d said Zorc drily ahead of Saturday\u2019s derby.
\nDortmund are third in the table, level with defending champions Bayern on nine points and just one behind leaders Leipzig.
\nErling Braut Haaland, who scored Dortmund\u2019s consolation goal in Rome, also netted as Schalke crashed to a 4-0 thrashing last May on their previous visit to Dortmund.
\nZorc wants to see \u201cfight and emotion\u201d from the home side.
\nGelsenkirchen-based Schalke are winless in their last 20 Bundesliga games and would love nothing more than to break their run at neighbours Dortmund.
\nSchalke assistant coach Naldo knows all about getting a result at Signal Iduna Park.
\nThe Brazilian\u2019s last-gasp header in 2017 capped a stunning fight-back from four goals down as Schalke sealed a 4-4 draw away from home.
\n\u201cSchalke will have a lot of passion, discipline and commitment – they will want to ruin our game,\u201d warned Zorc.
\nTensions are running extra high between the clubs after a racist incident last weekend.
\nDortmund prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko, 15, received alleged death threats and racist abuse from Schalke fans after scoring a hat-trick in Sunday\u2019s 3-2 win in an Under-19 derby in Gelsenkirchen.
\nSchalke have apologised and are investigating the allegations.
\nDortmund are without centre-back Manuel Akanji, who is recovering from the coronavirus, and winger Thorgan Hazard who has a leg knock.
\nMidfield enforcer Emre Can is available after missing the Lazio defeat with suspension.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just 300 home fans will be allowed to watch in Dortmund, whose boss Zorc urged his side not to keep their distance News Desk CANBERRA Borussia Dortmund have been told to forget about social distancing and get stuck into arch-rivals Schalke in Saturday\u2019s derby as they look to challenge RB Leipzig at the top of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n