Bundesliga Matchday 34 Preview: Will Hamburg keep the relegation playoff spot

Despite Bayern's successful domestic season, the final matchday on Saturday promises to be a nailbiter.  The primary question will be, can Hamburg keep the relegation playoff spot.   Three teams are currently in the relegation zone, separated by just two points.

VFB Stuttgart is safe and  remains in the Bundesliga for next season.  The Schwaben will meet  Bayern Muenchen, a game that will be primarily for pride among the two southern neighbours.  Bayern has clinched the title and Stuttgart is safe.  Borussia Dortmund is traveling to Berlin and this  will be an opportunity for the Borussen to test the pitch in Berlin, ahead of next weekend's DFB Pokal game against Bayern Muenchen.

Dortmund has clinched spot two with Schalke and Leverkusen seven and ten points behind respectively.   Schalke plays 17th placed Nuernberg and Leverkusen hosts Bremen.  Both sides should be able to win those matches.  Wolfsburg and Gladbach, sides that still have a chance to clinch  a Champions League spot meet head to head in Wolfsburg.  The two sides are separated by two points.  A Leverkusen loss and a Wolfsburg win would move Wolfsburg into a UCL spot, but that's a long shot.

The bottom three have difficult tasks as well.  Hamburg plays Mainz, a side that came close to capturing a spot in Europe this year.  Can Hamburg get at least a draw?  Nuernberg faces Schalke and looks doomed to play in the 2nd Bundesliga next season, while Braunschweig faces Hoffenheim.  The odds are that Hamburg will have enough to make it to the relegation playoff.

1. FC Koeln has won the right to play in the Bundesliga next season.  Paderborn and Greuther Fuerth require Sunday to confirm, which of the two gets promoted directly and who wins the relegation playoff spot, with Paderborn leading Greuther Fuerth by two points for second spot.  Paderborn plays ninth placed Aalen, while Greuther Fuerth faces SV Sandhausen, which sits in tenth spot.

For Bayern it was a successful season, even with the loss against Real Madrid.  For Bayern and Dortmund the focus will be on the DFB Cup, followed by preparation for Brazil 2014 in June. 


Hertha BSC vs Borussia Dortmund       0-4
FC Augsburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt       2-1
VfL Wolfsburg vs Bor. Mönchengladbach      3-1 
Bayern München vs VfB Stuttgart      1-0 
Bayer Leverkusen vs Werder Bremen    2-1   
Schalke 04 vs 1. FC Nürnberg       4-1
Hannover 96 vs SC Freiburg       3-2
FSV Mainz 05 vs Hamburger SV  3-2     
1899 Hoffenheim vs Eintr. Braunschweig 3-1

Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points

1      FC Bayern        34    28  3    2        95:23       90
2      Dortmund         34    23   5    7       80:38       71
3      Schalke             34    19   7    8       63:43       64
4      Leverkusen       34    19  4   11       57:44       61
5      Wolfsburg         34    18   6  10       63:50       60
6      M'gladbach       34    16   7   11      59:43       55
7      Mainz               34    16   5   13       52:54      53  
8      Augsburg          34    15   7   12       47:47      52
9      Hoffenheim       34   11  11   12       72:70      44
10    Hannover           34   12   6    16      46:59       42
11    Hertha BSC       34   11   8    15      40:49       41
12    Bremen              34    10   9  15      42:66       39  
13    Frankfurt           34     9   9    16      40:57       36
14    Freiburg            34      9   9  16       42:61       36
15    Stuttgart             34     8   8  18       50:63       32
16    Hamburg           34      7   6  21       49:75       27
17    Nürnberg           34      5 11  18       37:70       26
18    B'schweig          34      6   7  21       29:60       25 

Bundesliga: Relegation teams decided, relegation playoff not until final matchday

The bottom three clubs in the Bundesliga lost their respective matches and all of them will now end up in the relegation zone.  With the relegation teams decided, the playoff spot will have to wait until the final matchday.  Hamburg, Nuernberg and Braunschweig have 27, 26 and 25 points respectively. Hamburg travels to Mainz, while Nuernberg is hosted by Schalke and Braunschweig hosts Hoffenheim next weekend.  Bayern, Dortmund and Schalke are assured a Champions League spot next season, while Wolfsburg and Gladbach might push Leverkusen out of the fourth spot.  Wolfsburg and Gladbach meet head to head next weekend, while Leverkusen hosts Bremen. The remaining teams will not be able to get a Euro League spot next season.

Hamburg lost its home match 4-1 against Bayern Muenchen, while Nuernberg lost 2-0 against Hannover at home.  Braunschweig lost to Augsburg 1-0. 

Read more about the games in Deutsche Welle.




SC Freiburg vs Schalke 04       0-2
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayer Leverkusen       0-2
1. FC Nürnberg vs Hannover 96       0-2
VfB Stuttgart vs VfL Wolfsburg       1-2
Borussia Dortmund vs 1899 Hoffenheim       3-2
Bor. Mönchengladbach vs FSV Mainz 05       3-1
Eintr. Braunschweig vs FC Augsburg   0-1    
Hamburger SV vs Bayern München     1-4  
Werder Bremen vs Hertha BSC    1-0

Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points

1      FC Bayern        33    28  3    2        94:23       87
2      Dortmund         33    22   5    7       76:38       68
3      Schalke             33    18   7    8       59:42       61
4      Leverkusen       33    18  4   11       55:43       58
5      Wolfsburg         33    17   6  10       60:49       57
6      M'gladbach       33    16   7   10      58:40       55
7      Mainz               33    15   5   13       49:52      50  
8      Augsburg          33    14   7   12       45:46      49
9      Hoffenheim       33   10  11   12       69:69      41
10    Hertha BSC       33   11   8    14      40:45       41
11    Hannover           33   11   6    16      43:57       39
12    Bremen              33    10   9  14      41:64       39  
13    Frankfurt           33     9   9    15      39:55       36
14    Freiburg            33      9   9  15       41:58       36
15    Stuttgart             33     8   8  17       50:62       32
16    Hamburg           33      7   6  20       47:72       27
17    Nürnberg           33      5 11  17       36:66       26
18    B'schweig          33      6   7  20       28:57       25

Bundesliga Matchday 33: Season Decision for relegation?

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have won top spot and second place respectively for this season, while the third and fourth Champions League spot is still up for grabs among four clubs, Schalke, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Gladbach. Will this matchday be the decision for relegation?  Eintracht Braunschweig and Nuernberg's relegation have all but been decided, while Hamburg still has a vague chance of overtaking VFB Stuttgart, but Hamburg can't do it on its own.

All games this weekend will be played on Saturday, as will those on the last matchday.  Hamburg hosts FC Bayern Muenchen this weekend.  Pep Guardiola won't be capturing a treble this year after going down 5:0 in aggregate against Real Madrid.  His tactics of domination football have been criticized and he has something to prove this weekend, ahead of the DFB Pokal game against Dortmund on May 17.  With Munich as the favorite in Hamburg, the club, which is the only side in the Bundesliga that has never faced relegation, will at least try to capture the relegation play off spot.

Braunschweig hosts Bayern's neighbour FC Augsburg, another difficult task. Augsburg, due to goal difference is no longer likely to capture a spot on European play for next season.  Nuernberg hosts Hannover 96 and all bets are off for this match.  Der Club can only hope to capture the relegation play off spot.

Of the top four Bayern travels to Hamburg, while Dortmund hosts Hoffenheim and Leverkusen hosts Frankfurt.  Schalke 04 travels to Freiburg.  Gladbach and Mainz battle for the fourth Champions League spot and barring a draw, that could be decided this matchday.  A Gladbach win dumps Mainz from European competition next season.

Sit back and enjoy the venues this weekend, matchday 33 will in likelihood be the big decision day, leaving only the DFB Pokal game in Berlin on May 17th, where Dortmund has the opportunity to decrown Bayern Muenchen.

SC Freiburg vs Schalke 04       0-2
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayer Leverkusen       0-2
1. FC Nürnberg vs Hannover 96       0-2
VfB Stuttgart vs VfL Wolfsburg       1-2
Borussia Dortmund vs 1899 Hoffenheim       3-2
Bor. Mönchengladbach vs FSV Mainz 05       3-1
Eintr. Braunschweig vs FC Augsburg   0-0    
Hamburger SV vs Bayern München     1-4  
Werder Bremen vs Hertha BSC    1-0

Posn  Team             GP   W   D   L    GF/GA   Points

1      FC Bayern        33    28  3    2        94:23       87
2      Dortmund         33    22   5    7       76:38       68
3      Schalke             33    18   7    8       59:42       61
4      Leverkusen       33    18  4   11       55:43       58
5      Wolfsburg         33    17   6  10       60:49       57
6      M'gladbach       33    16   7   10      58:40       55
7      Mainz               33    15   5   13       49:52      50  
8      Augsburg          33    13   8   12       44:46      47
9      Hoffenheim       33   10  11   12       69:69      41
10    Hertha BSC       33   11   7    15      41:43       44
11    Hannover           33   11   6   16      44:58       39
12    Frankfurt           33     9   9    15      39:55       36
13    Freiburg            33      9   9  15       41:58       36
14    Bremen              33    10   8  14      39:64       36 
15    Stuttgart             33     8   8  17       50:62       32
16    Hamburg           33      7   6  20       47:72       27
17    Nürnberg           33      5 11  17       36:66       26
18    B'schweig         33       6   8  19       28:56       26