Borussia Monchengladbach to be greeted by 13,000 cardboard cut-out fans at next Bundesliga match

Gladbach season ticket holders to have their cardboard lookalike allocated to their regular spot in the stands

BUNDESLIGA RETURNS TO ACTION - WEEK 1: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 4 SCHALKE 0. Raphael Guerreiro scores Dortmund's second goal at Westfalenstadion on May 16, 2020. Getty

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 4 SCHALKE 0. Journalists covering the match stick to social-distancing protocols. AFP

AUGSBURG 1 WOLFSBURG 2. Noah Sarenren Bazee of Augsburg is fouled by Wolfsburg's Felix Klaus at the WWK Arena on May 16, 2020. Getty

AUGSBURG 1 WOLFSBURG 2. Wolfsburg's Daniel Ginczek, left, celebrates scoring social-distancing style, with his team-mate Kevin Mbabu. AFP

FORTUNA DUSSELDORF 0 PADERBORN 0. Paderborn's Jamillu Collins and Matthias Zimmermann of Fortuna Dusseldorf battle for possession at the Esprit Arena on May 16, 2020. AFP

FORTUNA DUSSELDORF 0 PADERBORN 0. A football is disinfected during the match. AFP

RB LEIPZIG 1 FREIBURG 1. Leipzig's Timo Werner crosses the ball under pressure from Nico Schlotterbeck of Freiburg at the Red Bull Arena on May 16, 2020. EPA

RB LEIPZIG 1 FREIBURG 1. Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is interviewed obeying social-distancing protocols after the match. Reuters

HOFFENHIEM 0 HERTHA BERLIN 3. Hoffenheim's Christoph Baumgartner, left, is challenged by Maximilian Mittelstadt of Hertha at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena on May 16, 2020. AP

HOFFENHIEM 0 HERTHA BERLIN 3. Hoffenheim manager Alfred Schreuder, left, wearing a mask during the game. AP

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 1 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 3. Monchengladbach's Ramy Bensebaini scored his team's third goal from the spot at the Commerzbank Arena on May 16, 2020. AP

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 1 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 3. Frankfurt team members wearing face masks and remain socially distanced during the game. Reuters

COLOGNE 2 MAINZ 2. Florian Kainz, right, celebrates with teammate Dominick Drexler after scoring his team's second goal at the RheinEnergieStadion on 17 May 2020. EPA

COLOGNE 2 MAINZ 2. Cologne general manager Horst Heldt wearing a protective face mask during the match. Reuters

UNION BERLIN 1 BAYERN MUNICH 2. Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard, hidden, scores their second goal at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei on 17 May 2020. AFP

UNION BERLIN 1 BAYERN MUNICH 2. A Bayern Munich substitute during the match. AFP

WERDER BREMEN 1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 4. Leverkusen's Kai Havertz scores the opening goal at the Weserstadion on May 18, 2020. AFP

WERDER BREMEN 1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 4. Leverkusen players during the half-time break. AP

Nearly 13,000 cardboard cut-outs of Borussia Monchengladbach supporters are set to welcome the team for Saturday's Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen behind closed doors.

Gladbach hosted the first Bundesliga game played without fans on March 11, shortly before the German season was put on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak.

One of the club's supporters' groups, "Fanprojekt Moenchengladbach", subsequently came up with the idea of allowing fans to print life-sized images of themselves to be placed inside the ground.

The cut-outs line the stadium's otherwise empty stands, with season ticket holders able to have their cardboard lookalike allocated to their regular spot.

"It's a nice operation, which creates an atmosphere in the stadium," said Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl. "Even if at the same time it's a reminder that football without supporters is not the same."

"It's fantastic. We really have the impression that we're not alone when we're training in the stadium," added Gladbach manager Marco Rose.

Gladbach are third in the table and six points behind leaders Bayern Munich. They won 3-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend as the Bundesliga returned following a two-month interruption.

Borussia Dortmund will try to keep pace with leaders Bayern Munich away to Wolfsburg ahead of Tuesday's crucial top-two showdown at Westfalenstadion, although they could be without captain Marco Reus for the remaining eight games of the season due to a thigh injury.

Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel will also not be fit in time for Saturday's match but Emre Can and teenager Giovanni Reyna have returned to training following injuries and are available.

Witsel will definitely not be there," manager Lucien Favre said in a virtual news conference on Friday. "Can started yesterday with light training with the team and will train today as well.

"Reus has not started training with the team but we still hope that he can come back as soon as possible and help until the end of the season

Bayern, four points clear at the top, host Eintracht Frankfurt, who won 5-1 in the reverse fixture – inflicting the heaviest league defeat on Bayern since 2009 and putting an end to Niko Kovac's turbulent spell in charge.

Champions League quarter-finalists RB Leipzig go to Mainz on Sunday, having have fallen behind in the title chase after three successive draws. Julian Nagelsmann's side set a club record with an 8-0 win when the teams met in November.