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DOPPELGANGER

Working out which Bundesliga side each Premier League fanbase should support

Time to crack out the Becks and Bratwurst, lads.

The Bundesliga is returning this weekend with a title race still wide open and the battle for European places very much up for grabs.

Matches will be watched and accumulators will be placed in England, but which team should each Premier League fanbase be supporting?

Bayern Munich (Man United)

Priorities

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Priorities

Man United and Bayern Munich are the two most successful domestic teams in their countries so it’s only right they are paired together.

While table-topping is a distant memory for most United fans, chasing titles is in Bayern’s DNA.

The Bavarian side sit four points clear of Borussia Dortmund in second and travel to Union Berlin on Sunday to try and move a step closer to their eight successive title.

Remember those things called ‘titles’, United fans?

Borussia Dortmund (Liverpool)

Klopp is God to both sets of fans

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Klopp is God to both sets of fans

The comparisons are there for everyone to see here…

Both like Jurgen Klopp and Gerry and the Pacemakers in equal measures and both would do anything for Jadon Sancho to be playing for them next season.

‘The Kop’ and the ‘Yellow Wall’ are two of the most famous brigades of fans in Europe, both of working-class roots.

And both clubs like a fast, high-tempo style when playing the game, like we said, a fairly obvious comparison this one.

RB Leipzig (Man City… and Newcastle)

When it’s two for one on Red Bull

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When it’s two for one on Red Bull

Man City and RB Leipzig both play great football, have brilliant young managers and are both one of the top teams in the land having been footnotes just 15 years ago.

But more importantly, both are detested for pumping cash into the club for their success.

Newcastle might not be there yet but can get a taste of what’s to come by watching the energy-drinking title hopefuls.

Borussia Monchengladbach (Arsenal)

Arsenal have lost both their games against Monchengladbach

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Arsenal have lost both their games against Monchengladbach

Both teams are firmly established as ‘big clubs’ in their respected leagues and neither have the silverware in recent years to show for it.

Marco Rose and Mikel Arteta are steering their clubs in the right direction but both are still a way off.

*Insert joke about Monchengladbach sitting in fourth*

Bayer Leverkusen (Chelsea)

Got a ring to it

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Got a ring to it

Two teams filled with exciting young players which has led to shows of brilliance and naive losses.

Both coached by young managers and both still some way off challenging the big boys.

While Chelsea’s trophy cabinet is not comparable to Leverkusen’s, the direction of the clubs is very alike.

Throw in the fact Michael Ballack played over 100 times for each club and it’s match made in heaven.

Schalke (Everton)

Jonjoe Kenny is on loan with the Germans

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Jonjoe Kenny is on loan with the Germans

These two are Dortmund and Liverpool’s biggest rivals, so Klopp’s name is not welcome at the Veltins Arena or Goodison Park.

The League’s nearly men, both have been trying and failing to worm their way into the top bracket in their countries for the past decade.

In David Wagner and Carlo Ancelotti, both are managed by likeable silver-tongued coaches.

One of Everton’s own, Jonjoe Kenny, is also on loan at Schalke.

Wolfsburg (Leicester)

Wolfsburg’s title in 2009 was similar to The Foxes’ in 2016

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Wolfsburg’s title in 2009 was similar to The Foxes’ in 2016

The two title-winning surprises in recent times are paired together next.

Bayern and Dortmund are the only other sides to have won the German top flight since Wolfsburg surprised everyone back in 2009.

Leicester’s miracle dwarfed the achievements of Wolfsburg but that alone pairs the two together.

They also both play in 30,000 seater stadiums. That’s the sound of the barrel being scraped right there.

SC Frieburg (Wolves)

We’ve got you sorted, Wolves fans

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We’ve got you sorted, Wolves fans

Just four years ago, these clubs were battling in the second devision.

Fast forward to 2020 and the duo are in the top half of the table and on a European push.

Both Nuno Espirito Santos and Christian Streich are progressive managers taking their teams to places that looked impossible four seasons ago.

Union Berlin (Sheffield United)

There are not too many German equivalents to Sheffield United

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There are not too many German equivalents to Sheffield United

Both these sides were promoted to the top flight last season and neither were expected to make the top half.

Chris Wilder and Urs Fischer have overachieved with their predominantly native squads and fierce followings from their fans.

Union Berlin are a length 19 points off fourth while The Blades are just five points off fourth-placed Chelsea, with a game in hand.

It is hard to find an equivalent in Germany to Sheffield United, which goes to show what a job Wilder has done.

1899 Hoffenheim (Watford)

The giant killers

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The giant killers

Both sides had cause for optimism after a promising 2018-19 campaign, with Watford losing in the FA Cup final.

Hoffenheim have beaten both Dortmund and Bayern Munich while Watford have toppled Man United and, famously, Liverpool, beating the Reds 3-0.

Consistency is a shared issue for both sets of fans.

Hertha Berlin (West Ham)

All the gear, no idea

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All the gear, no idea

For a start, both these clubs play in the Olympic Stadiums and are from their nation’s capital city.

They also both axed their managers half way through the season and are flirting with the relegation zone.

Eintracht Frankfurt (Spurs)

Europe’s nearly men of last year

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Europe’s nearly men of last year

Frankfurt and Spurs are weighed down by overly ambitious fans with memories of years gone by.

Passionate fans from North London have waited since 1961 for a League title while Frankfurt’s last title was way back in 1959.

Both Spurs and Frankfurt are feeling the hangover of successful European campaigns last season and would do well to get back into Europe.

FC Augsburg or FC Koln (Burnley)

Substance over style

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Substance over style

Both German sides and Burnley can be considered over achievers with a similar style of play.

They are three sides that have stayed in the top flight for longer than most could have expected and both clubs face yet another season in the big leagues.

It’s not about how you win, right lads?

Mainz (Crystal Palace and Brighton)

Noisy beggars

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Noisy beggars

Both Palace and Mainz pride themselves with their home support at games with the German side nickname ‘Karnevalsverein’ literally translating to the ‘carnival club.’

The South Londoners occasional drum banging is just about a good enough reason to match the two up.

Brighton and Mainz are both in 15th and have work to do before the season is up.

Palace and Brighton fans, sorry to group you together so casually.

Fortuna Dusseldorf (Southampton)

The man, the myth…

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The man, the myth…

There is a special link binding these two clubs together and it’s the German side’s manager.

Uwe Rosler scored the last ever goal at The Dell back in 2001 against Brighton.

Southampton’s famous old ground’s last ever game was a friendly in which the now 51-year-old scored in a 1-0 win.

There’s one for your next quarantine quiz.

The German’s are facing relegation this season and need a turn in fortune like Southampton’s back in December if they are to beat the drop.

Werder Bremen (Aston Villa)

Claudio Pizarro and the boys are facing the drop

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Claudio Pizarro and the boys are facing the drop

Aston Villa and Werder Bremen are two massive clubs historically speaking.

While Villa were relegated back in 2016, the Germans haven’t played in the second tier since 1981.

They are eight points off safety and could face a seismic relegation, much like the Villains suffered four seasons ago.

There is still hope for both sides and the weight of all the pressure falls on two young players; Jack Grealish for Villa and Milot Rashica for Werder Bremen.

Paderborn (Bournemouth… and Norwich)

Paderborn and Bournemouth are the small fish in BIG ponds

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Paderborn and Bournemouth are the small fish in BIG ponds

The German minnows were third division just two an a half seasons ago so the fact Paderburn are in the Bundesliga is a miracle in itself.

Both The Cherries and Paderborn play to the smallest home crowds with the Vitality Stadium holding shy of 12,000 seats and the German ground boasting a meagre 15,000.

They have yo-yoed through the various divisions for the past five seasons, something Bournemouth fans can appreciate.

While relegation is almost a certainty for the Germans, Eddie Howe’s boys still have everything to play for to keep their fairytale alive.

Sorry Norwich, you are paired up here for the simple fact you are both in last place.