Bundesliga teams received good news from the German Football League (DFL) on Thursday: each team will be allowed to use five substitutions in every game after the 2019-20 season restarts on May 16.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) already approved the new rule because it can help protect the players in a relatively pressing fixture, especially after all teams lacked systematic training and practice for two months.

"From now on, each club will have three opportunities to substitute players during a game, including the half-time break," said the DFL in a statement. Of course, teams still only have three opportunities to make exchanges.

"If there is extra time in the second leg of the relegation play-offs, both teams are given a fourth opportunity to change players, which they can use in the interruption between regular time and extra time or in the half-time period of extra time. The DFL 'Football Commission' recommends that a maximum of two players be substituted at the same time."

Though the plan was to finish the season in June, the DFL revealed that it could be extended to July if necessary. If the season has to be abandoned eventually, "a regulation regarding the sporting classification is to be developed within the next two weeks."

Meanwhile, as part of the precautions against COVID-19, the game venue can be changed at short notice. "There will also be the possibility of a match being played in another stadium at short notice for overriding compelling legal, organizational and/or security reasons," said the DFL.

Five games will happen first on Saturday as Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig will host Schalke 04 and Freiburg. Dortmund and Leipzig trail the leading Bayern Munich by four and five points each. The competition for this season's Bundesliga championship is far from long gone.