By Rich
The final matchday of this season’s Bundesliga has arrived, so let’s look at what’s already been decided and what remains to be decided on Saturday. As for what has already been determined: FC Bayern München are league champions, Borussia Dortmund have finished in second place, and SpVgg Greuther Fürth have been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. For the UEFA Champions League, 3 of the 4 spots have already been claimed by Bayern, Dortmund, and Leverkusen. The 4th spot is currently occupied by Leipzig, and Leipzig could secure the spot if they win or draw in their away match in Bielefeld. Leipzig could also secure the spot if they lose and Freiburg also don’t win, but Freiburg could claim the spot if Leipzig were to lose and Freiburg win in their away match in Leverkusen. Looking at the UEFA Europa League, the rules state that the team in 5th and the team that wins the DFB Pokal qualify directly for the group stage; however, as Leipzig and Freiburg are this season’s Pokal finalists, the team that finishes 6th will take the 2nd Europa League group berth. Should the Pokal winner finish 5th or 6th, there will not be a 3rd Bundesliga team in the Europa League, and the team that finishes 7th will instead go into the Europa Conference League play-offs. The 4 teams in question are Leipzig, Freiburg, Union Berlin, and Köln. Freiburg’s superior goal differential means they are virtual guaranteed group stage football at a minimum, regardless of what happens on Saturday: only a heavy loss in Leverkusen, combined with big wins for Union Berlin and Köln, would drop them to 7th. Even then, they could still qualify by winning the Pokal final. Union will qualify if they win at home to Bochum, and a draw will also suffice if Köln don’t win in Stuttgart. If Union draw and Köln win, goal differential will decide. Köln must win to have a chance, but also need help from Stuttgart, for a Köln win and a Union draw will then bring in goal differential and perhaps even head-to-head records into the equation. If Köln draw or lose, they will go into the Conference League playoffs. 7 teams have only final league positions to play for: Hoffenheim, Mainz, Gladbach, Bochum, Eintracht, Wolfsburg, and Augsburg. That leaves the relegation battle. Fürth are already relegated, and Bielefeld are almost certainly relegated, too. The real battle is between Hertha and Stuttgart. If Hertha avoid defeat in Dortmund, they will stay in the top flight. Stuttgart, however, need to win at home against Köln and have Hertha lose to climb above Hertha on goal differential. If Stuttgart draw or lose, they will end the season in the relegation play-off spot and Hertha will finish above them. Don’t miss the action at the top of the 2. Bundesliga: Schalke have already been promoted, but Bremen, Hamburg, Darmstadt, and St. Pauli are all still in contention for promotion. The 2. Bundesliga finishes its season on Sunday, when Bremen host Regensburg, Hamburg play in Rostock, Darmstadt host Paderborn, and St. Pauli host Düsseldorf.
The final matchday of this season’s Bundesliga has arrived, so let’s look at what’s already been decided and what remains to be decided on Saturday. As for what has already been determined: FC Bayern München are league champions, Borussia Dortmund have finished in second place, and SpVgg Greuther Fürth have been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. For the UEFA Champions League, 3 of the 4 spots have already been claimed by Bayern, Dortmund, and Leverkusen. The 4th spot is currently occupied by Leipzig, and Leipzig could secure the spot if they win or draw in their away match in Bielefeld. Leipzig could also secure the spot if they lose and Freiburg also don’t win, but Freiburg could claim the spot if Leipzig were to lose and Freiburg win in their away match in Leverkusen. Looking at the UEFA Europa League, the rules state that the team in 5th and the team that wins the DFB Pokal qualify directly for the group stage; however, as Leipzig and Freiburg are this season’s Pokal finalists, the team that finishes 6th will take the 2nd Europa League group berth. Should the Pokal winner finish 5th or 6th, there will not be a 3rd Bundesliga team in the Europa League, and the team that finishes 7th will instead go into the Europa Conference League play-offs. The 4 teams in question are Leipzig, Freiburg, Union Berlin, and Köln. Freiburg’s superior goal differential means they are virtual guaranteed group stage football at a minimum, regardless of what happens on Saturday: only a heavy loss in Leverkusen, combined with big wins for Union Berlin and Köln, would drop them to 7th. Even then, they could still qualify by winning the Pokal final. Union will qualify if they win at home to Bochum, and a draw will also suffice if Köln don’t win in Stuttgart. If Union draw and Köln win, goal differential will decide. Köln must win to have a chance, but also need help from Stuttgart, for a Köln win and a Union draw will then bring in goal differential and perhaps even head-to-head records into the equation. If Köln draw or lose, they will go into the Conference League playoffs. 7 teams have only final league positions to play for: Hoffenheim, Mainz, Gladbach, Bochum, Eintracht, Wolfsburg, and Augsburg. That leaves the relegation battle. Fürth are already relegated, and Bielefeld are almost certainly relegated, too. The real battle is between Hertha and Stuttgart. If Hertha avoid defeat in Dortmund, they will stay in the top flight. Stuttgart, however, need to win at home against Köln and have Hertha lose to climb above Hertha on goal differential. If Stuttgart draw or lose, they will end the season in the relegation play-off spot and Hertha will finish above them. Don’t miss the action at the top of the 2. Bundesliga: Schalke have already been promoted, but Bremen, Hamburg, Darmstadt, and St. Pauli are all still in contention for promotion. The 2. Bundesliga finishes its season on Sunday, when Bremen host Regensburg, Hamburg play in Rostock, Darmstadt host Paderborn, and St. Pauli host Düsseldorf.
RSS Feed