Bundesliga set to resume in mid-May

The Bundesliga is set to receive the green light to return on May 15, with the German government poised to agree on measures to ease coronavirus restrictions further.

The measures to control the spread of the coronavirus will be eased in a teleconference with Chancellor Angela Merkel scheduled for Wednesday, according to reports.

The state premiers expected to give the green light for large shops to reopen, probably from May 11, and also allow the Bundesliga to resume matches under strict conditions without fans in stadiums.

The Bundesliga has been on pause since March, with nine games left to play for most clubs in the division.

The restart could look bizarre, with players facing the possibility of playing in masks and being told not to touch one another in scenarios such as celebrations - all while playing in front of eerily empty arenas.

Germany has been more successful than other large European countries in slowing the spread of the virus - it estimates that every 100 carriers of the virus now infects only 74 others on average.