Bundesliga Matchday 30 Preview: At least six clubs fighting relegation

With 15 available points, until the Bundesliga ends its season, there are at least six clubs facing relegation.  Among the stalwarts are Hamburg, Bremen and Stuttgart.  Only four points separate 18th placed Eintracht Braunschweig and 13th Hannover 96.

Hannover and Hamburg go head to head on Saturday and a lot is at stake for the Hanseaten, who have never been relegated in the Bundesliga's 51 years of existence.  Stuttgart level on points with Hamburg, faces Borussia Moenchengladbach, a side with Champions League aspirations.  Gladbach is level on points with Wolfsburg.  Both clubs trail fourth placed Leverkusen by one point.

Braunschweig faces troubled SC Freiburg.  Eintracht, which has gained four points in the last two outings, tails Hamburg and Stuttgart by two points and could possibly move upwards with a win over Freiburg.  Nuernberg one point ahead of Braunschweig faces a formidable opponent in Wolfsburg.  For the club it is reckoning time.   Mathematically it is possible for all these clubs to avoid relegation, but this will require victories and a little help from the remainder of the league.
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On the top end of the league, FC Bayern seems to have closed the chapter on this year's Bundesliga season and the focus has shifted to the Champions League and the DFB Cup.   Whether or not Pep Guardiola will field the A team on Saturday, when the side hosts Dortmund remains to be seen.  Dortmund put in a stellar performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday, but due to a first leg 3-0 deficit, the 2-0 victory has Dortmund out of the Champions League for this season. Dortmund aims at securing its current second spot, with currently a three point lead.  The other focus is on the DFB Cup, the only silverware available to Juergen Klopp's side.

Schalke hopes to pick up three points when Frankfurt comes to town. Frankfurt, though relatively safe from relegation can still mathematically sink into a relegation spot.  Eight points separate the side from Nuernberg.  Bayer Leverkusen hosts Berlin and this match could go either way.  Leverkusen has not fully recovered from a slump after the winter break and Berlin, a side which looked like a Euro League likely, wants to get as close as possible, although it's nearly impossible.  A loss for Leverkusen could move the side into sixth spot.

While the league championship has been wrapped up, there is still lots to be decided for the 2013/14 season.  The top match this week would undoubtedly be the Bayern/Dortmund match, but it depends what sides both Pep Guardiola and Juergen Klopp field.  Will Dortmund become the second side this season to defeat the Super Bayern?


Friday 11 April 14

Schalke 04 vs Eintracht Frankfurt  2-0
Saturday 12 April 14

Hannover 96 vs Hamburger SV      2-1  
SC Freiburg vs Eintr. Braunschweig     2-0   
Bor. Mönchengladbach vs VfB Stuttgart    1-1    
FSV Mainz 05 vs Werder Bremen       3-0 
VfL Wolfsburg vs 1. FC Nürnberg        4-1
Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund    

Sunday 13 Apr 14
 Bayer Leverkusen vs Hertha BSC        
1899 Hoffenheim vs FC Augsburg   

 
Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points

1      FC Bayern        29    25  3    1        82:17       78
2      Dortmund         29    19   4    7       64:32       58
3      Schalke             30    17   7    6       56:38       58
4      Wolfsburg         30    15   5  10       53:45       50
5      Leverkusen       29    15   3  11       48:36       48
6      M'gladbach       30    14   6   10      52:35       48 
7      Mainz               30    14   5   11       44:45       47 
8      Augsburg          29    12   6   11       41:43      42
9      Hoffenheim       29     9   9    11      64:63      37
10    Hertha BSC      29    10   6    13      37:40      37
11    Frankfurt           30     9   8    13      37:50       35
12    Bremen              30     8   8  13       34:58       33
13    Hannover           30     9   5  16       38:55       32
14    Freiburg            30      8   8  14       35:52       32
15    Stuttgart            30      7   7  16       45:58       28
16    Hamburg           30      7   6  17       46:62       27
17    Nürnberg           30      5 11  14       35:58       26
18    B'schweig         30      6    7  17      28:52       25