By Rich
Hosts VfL Bochum defeated visitors DSC Arminia Bielefeld 2:1 on Friday, leaving Bielefeld in a precarious position in the last 2 weeks of the season. The hosts’ first goal came in the 22nd minute, when Sebastian Polter headed in a cross from Milos Pantovic. The visitors tied the score later in the first half, thanks to a header from Joakim Nilsson. The match’s final goal, though, came in the 89th minute, when the ball ricocheted off George Bello, resulting in an own goal and the Bochum win. The loss leaves Bochum 2 points behind VfB Stuttgart in the relegation play-off spot, with just 1 game remaining. Bayer Leverkusen will travel to Hoffenheim on Saturday, where a victory could fire the visitors back into the UEFA Champions League. Hoffenheim’s European aspirations can only be kept alive with a victory on Saturday and a Union Berlin loss or tie and/or a Köln loss. Union Berlin currently occupy 7th place, and are likely to qualify for European competition, thanks to Freiburg’s Pokal final appearance with Leipzig. The only question remaining for Freiburg are which European competition they will see: the club is currently in 4th place, the final Champions League berth, but only 1 point above Leipzig. Freiburg are also on the cusp of some key personnel changes, as Nico Schlotterbeck will be leaving for Dortmund over the summer while Matthias Ginter will be coming to the club from Gladbach. At the other end of the table, Hertha Berlin will be looking to secure their 1. Bundesliga survival when they host Mainz in Saturday’s late game. Hertha are now 4 points ahead of Stuttgart, and a win over Mainz would assure Hertha’s presence in the top flight next season. The visitors are safe in the middle of the table, having ended a 5-game winless streak last weekend with a surprise victory over league champions Bayern. Bayern will host Stuttgart on Sunday, in what is nearly a must-win match for the visitors. Stuttgart are just 2 points ahead of the automatic relegation spots and 4 points adrift of outright safety, thanks to a winless streak of 5 league matches. If Stuttgart were to be relegated at the end of the season, it would be their 5th change of division in just 7 years. The final match of the weekend is that on Sunday between hosts RB Leipzig and visitors FC Augsburg. While Leipzig look to keep their UEFA Champions League hopes alive, Augsburg have managed to assure their safety, thanks to 2 wins in the last 5 matches, and a final match next weekend against the already-relegated Fürth.
Hosts VfL Bochum defeated visitors DSC Arminia Bielefeld 2:1 on Friday, leaving Bielefeld in a precarious position in the last 2 weeks of the season. The hosts’ first goal came in the 22nd minute, when Sebastian Polter headed in a cross from Milos Pantovic. The visitors tied the score later in the first half, thanks to a header from Joakim Nilsson. The match’s final goal, though, came in the 89th minute, when the ball ricocheted off George Bello, resulting in an own goal and the Bochum win. The loss leaves Bochum 2 points behind VfB Stuttgart in the relegation play-off spot, with just 1 game remaining. Bayer Leverkusen will travel to Hoffenheim on Saturday, where a victory could fire the visitors back into the UEFA Champions League. Hoffenheim’s European aspirations can only be kept alive with a victory on Saturday and a Union Berlin loss or tie and/or a Köln loss. Union Berlin currently occupy 7th place, and are likely to qualify for European competition, thanks to Freiburg’s Pokal final appearance with Leipzig. The only question remaining for Freiburg are which European competition they will see: the club is currently in 4th place, the final Champions League berth, but only 1 point above Leipzig. Freiburg are also on the cusp of some key personnel changes, as Nico Schlotterbeck will be leaving for Dortmund over the summer while Matthias Ginter will be coming to the club from Gladbach. At the other end of the table, Hertha Berlin will be looking to secure their 1. Bundesliga survival when they host Mainz in Saturday’s late game. Hertha are now 4 points ahead of Stuttgart, and a win over Mainz would assure Hertha’s presence in the top flight next season. The visitors are safe in the middle of the table, having ended a 5-game winless streak last weekend with a surprise victory over league champions Bayern. Bayern will host Stuttgart on Sunday, in what is nearly a must-win match for the visitors. Stuttgart are just 2 points ahead of the automatic relegation spots and 4 points adrift of outright safety, thanks to a winless streak of 5 league matches. If Stuttgart were to be relegated at the end of the season, it would be their 5th change of division in just 7 years. The final match of the weekend is that on Sunday between hosts RB Leipzig and visitors FC Augsburg. While Leipzig look to keep their UEFA Champions League hopes alive, Augsburg have managed to assure their safety, thanks to 2 wins in the last 5 matches, and a final match next weekend against the already-relegated Fürth.
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