After the international break we enter the final phase of the Bundesliga. They are heading for a historic season, because before matchday 27 the gap between the top and the bottom is greater than ever since the introduction of the three-point rule in 1995.
On the one hand, this is due to the outstanding performances of leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have not yet lost a game and are breaking records. However, the record for the highest number of points with 70 after 26 match days is only valid within the club; FC Bayern had already scored 74 points under coach Pep Guardiola at a comparable point in the 2013/14 season.
Bundesliga, 27th matchday arrow right Bundesliga, table arrow right
The lead over the then second-placed Borussia Dortmund was 23 points, the lead over bottom-placed Eintracht Braunschweig was 56, one less than the current gap between Leverkusen and SV Darmstadt 98.
Trio at the bottom of the table historically poor, VfB the best third in history
The data service provider “Sportec Solutions” has compiled further facts that make it clear why the current season is a season of extremes:
Bayern and VfB Stuttgart are suffering from Leverkusen’s season of the century – both would have been leaders last season with their current points total (60 and 56 respectively) (in 2022/23 Bayern was first with only 55 points). Only once in the age of the three-point rule did the second place have more points than Bayern do now: Borussia Dortmund was in second place in 2015/16 with 61 points (but was “only” five points behind at the time, Bayern ten this season). BVB ultimately finished second behind Bayern with 78 points, making them the best runner-up of all time. VfB Stuttgart is currently the best third place in the table in history: with 18 wins or (the equivalent of) 56 points, no team has ever been “only” third. The top trio is historically good, but things are different in the bottom of the table: While Leverkusen scored an average of 2.7 points per game, the bottom team, Darmstadt 98, only got 0.5 points per game: The “Lilien” only have 13 after 26 match days Points. Despite the weak balance, Darmstadt is not yet completely behind, although it is still six points behind the relegation place. 1. FSV Mainz 05 is there with only 19 points. Never before since 1995 have so few points been enough to reach 16th place: All teams with 19 or fewer points after 26 match days have been in 17th or 18th place. Extrapolated, the FSV would have 25 points by the end of the season, but could therefore move into relegation and the Create relegation. So far, Hamburger SV is the team that has remained in the Bundesliga with the fewest points (2013/14: 27 points and via relegation against SpVgg Greuther Fürth). Mainz, 1. FC Köln and Darmstadt will only have eight wins from 78 games in 2023/24. Never before had the trio at the bottom of the table achieved so few wins.
Things are much tighter in the 2nd league
A comparison with the 2nd league shows how far the gap is in the Bundesliga from the very top to the very bottom. There, the sovereign league leaders FC St. Pauli have 54 points, which is less than the gap between the leaders and the bottom in the Bundesliga.
2nd Bundesliga, 27th matchday arrow right 2nd Bundesliga, table arrow right
Hamburg have exactly twice as many points as Eintracht Braunschweig in 17th place, which means direct relegation. In the Bundesliga, FC Augsburg has half the points and is in seventh place in the table.
Bottom of the table in the 2nd league is VfL Osnabrück. He only has a third of FC St. Pauli’s number of points, i.e. 18. The graphic showing the point gaps illustrates the extreme situation in the Bundesliga using the example of the almost certain relegation from Osnabrück: With the same gap to the At the top, VfL would play in the highest class for a place in the European Cup.
