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