By Rich
Earlier this week, FC Bayern München claimed their 8th consecutive Bundesliga title, and 29th title overall, thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s 31st goal of the season. As the league heads into the final 2 matchdays, the attention turns to the other end of the table, to qualification for Europe competition, and to the clubs in contention for promotion to the 1. Bundesliga from the 2. Bundesliga. Paderborn have already earned relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, while Mainz, Düsseldorf, and Bremen are still in relegation danger. Thanks to a 2:0 win over Dortmund this week, Mainz are currently holding a 5-point buffer over the relegation playoff spot, and their remaining matches are against 17th-place Bremen and 4th-place Leverkusen. Just 1 more point in their next 2 matches will keep them in the 1. Bundesliga next season, but they could even stay up without it, thanks to their superior goal differential. Düsseldorf, currently in the 16th-place relegation playoff spot, can remain in the spot as long as they do better than Bremen in the last 2 matches, and could survive outright with 6 points in 2 matches and a Mainz collapse. Their next 2 competitors, Augsburg and Union Berlin, have nothing riding on their last 2 competitions. Bremen, in 17th place, have nearly everything riding on their Saturday match against Mainz. In the 2. Bundesliga, DSC Arminia Bielefeld have already secured promotion to the 1. Bundesliga next season, for the first time since the 2008-9 season, and can also secure the 2. Bundesliga championship if they avoid defeat against Darmstadt on Matchday 32. Still in contention for promotion are Stuttgart, Hamburg, Heidenheim, and Darmstadt. Stuttgart were relegated at the end of last season and can return to the first division if they win the remaining 2 fixtures, against Nürnberg and Darmstadt. Hamburg were relegated for the first time ever at the end of the 2017-8 season, and narrowly missed the promotion play-off spot last season. Hamburg must still play Heidenheim and Sandhausen and will need a Stuttgart loss to achieve promotion. The odds are against Heidenheim, who have never played in the 1. Bundesliga, and must win at least once, and more likely twice, against Hamburg and Bielefeld. Darmstadt’s chances are just as low, with fixtures against Bielefeld, Wiesbaden, and Stuttgart, and will need wins in all 3 to have a shot at promotion. Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL Wolfsburg, TSG Hoffenheim, and SC Freiburg are all still in contention for European competition. Dortmund have already clinched a spot in the Champions League group stage and will need to defeat Leipzig on Saturday to finish 2nd place in the Bundesliga. If Leipzig fail to defeat Dortmund, Leipzig will be in a 3-way contest with Leverkusen and Gladbach for the final CL spot. Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim, and Freiburg round out the competition for the Europa League spots, but Hoffenheim and Freiburg would both have to move into at least 6th place in the table.
Earlier this week, FC Bayern München claimed their 8th consecutive Bundesliga title, and 29th title overall, thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s 31st goal of the season. As the league heads into the final 2 matchdays, the attention turns to the other end of the table, to qualification for Europe competition, and to the clubs in contention for promotion to the 1. Bundesliga from the 2. Bundesliga. Paderborn have already earned relegation to the 2. Bundesliga, while Mainz, Düsseldorf, and Bremen are still in relegation danger. Thanks to a 2:0 win over Dortmund this week, Mainz are currently holding a 5-point buffer over the relegation playoff spot, and their remaining matches are against 17th-place Bremen and 4th-place Leverkusen. Just 1 more point in their next 2 matches will keep them in the 1. Bundesliga next season, but they could even stay up without it, thanks to their superior goal differential. Düsseldorf, currently in the 16th-place relegation playoff spot, can remain in the spot as long as they do better than Bremen in the last 2 matches, and could survive outright with 6 points in 2 matches and a Mainz collapse. Their next 2 competitors, Augsburg and Union Berlin, have nothing riding on their last 2 competitions. Bremen, in 17th place, have nearly everything riding on their Saturday match against Mainz. In the 2. Bundesliga, DSC Arminia Bielefeld have already secured promotion to the 1. Bundesliga next season, for the first time since the 2008-9 season, and can also secure the 2. Bundesliga championship if they avoid defeat against Darmstadt on Matchday 32. Still in contention for promotion are Stuttgart, Hamburg, Heidenheim, and Darmstadt. Stuttgart were relegated at the end of last season and can return to the first division if they win the remaining 2 fixtures, against Nürnberg and Darmstadt. Hamburg were relegated for the first time ever at the end of the 2017-8 season, and narrowly missed the promotion play-off spot last season. Hamburg must still play Heidenheim and Sandhausen and will need a Stuttgart loss to achieve promotion. The odds are against Heidenheim, who have never played in the 1. Bundesliga, and must win at least once, and more likely twice, against Hamburg and Bielefeld. Darmstadt’s chances are just as low, with fixtures against Bielefeld, Wiesbaden, and Stuttgart, and will need wins in all 3 to have a shot at promotion. Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, VfL Wolfsburg, TSG Hoffenheim, and SC Freiburg are all still in contention for European competition. Dortmund have already clinched a spot in the Champions League group stage and will need to defeat Leipzig on Saturday to finish 2nd place in the Bundesliga. If Leipzig fail to defeat Dortmund, Leipzig will be in a 3-way contest with Leverkusen and Gladbach for the final CL spot. Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim, and Freiburg round out the competition for the Europa League spots, but Hoffenheim and Freiburg would both have to move into at least 6th place in the table.
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