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Page 14,027 days of boredom come to an end
Page 2Title race for the biggest surprise of the season
Who plays against whom and when?
Which game should you definitely not miss?
Leverkusen against Bremen, the game of the almost certainly new German champions. With a Bayer win on Sunday the title would be secure; if Bayern and Stuttgart lose, it would even be on Saturday. Bayern, who have won eleven times in a row since 2013, would be dethroned. Of all things, Vizekusen, the eternal runner-up, triple runner-up in 2002, mostly at the top but without winning anything, that was the Germany-wide image of Leverkusen. You can tell how far away Leverkusen were from winning the title because they now have to look for a place where they can celebrate. The town hall square is too small. Even the triple is realistic, on Thursday Leverkusen won the quarter-final first leg in the Europa League 2-0 against West Ham. But first the championship, after 4,027 days of boredom, a different name can finally be engraved on the bowl on Sunday.
Which game can you safely miss?
Leipzig against Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg are afraid of relegation. And are now without their managing director. Marcel Schäfer is a legend at VfL. Many players only make a short stop in Wolfsburg and want to recommend themselves to bigger cities (and perhaps nicer cities). Schäfer stayed for ten years, played 313 games, became champions and cup winners. In 2018 he became sports director, and in 2023 he was promoted to sports director. His sporting record is not good, they recently missed the European Cup twice, and this year there is a risk of something worse. Schäfer would probably like to take a job at RB Leipzig soon. Now he has to leave immediately. How VfL announced the separation is quite astonishing: with a brief message saying that Schäfer had internally submitted a request for a change. No quote in it, not even a thank you. Is this how you say goodbye to club legends?
Who is in the spotlight?
The remaining German Champions League clubs. After 15 minutes, Bayern looked as if they would be sent home from London with a 5-0 defeat, then Arsenal gave them an equalizer and the Munich team recovered. In the Bundesliga, Thomas Tuchel and his players sulk at each other, perhaps 1. FC Köln will benefit from this on Saturday, only in the Champions League does it seem as if the coach and the team can still come together.
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BVB was also lucky against Atlético Madrid not to have had no chance of reaching the semi-finals early on. Dortmund gave away two goals, then things got better, and in the end they even managed to equalize. However, BVB cannot put their feet up before the second leg on Tuesday. If Borussia wants to play in the best European league next year, a win in Mönchengladbach wouldn’t hurt.
Leverkusen against Bremen, the game of the almost certainly new German champions. With a Bayer win on Sunday the title would be secure; if Bayern and Stuttgart lose, it would even be on Saturday. Bayern, who have won eleven times in a row since 2013, would be dethroned. Of all things, Vizekusen, the eternal runner-up, triple runner-up in 2002, mostly at the top but without winning anything, that was the Germany-wide image of Leverkusen. You can tell how far away Leverkusen were from winning the title because they now have to look for a place where they can celebrate. The town hall square is too small. Even the triple is realistic, on Thursday Leverkusen won the quarter-final first leg in the Europa League 2-0 against West Ham. But first the championship, after 4,027 days of boredom, a different name can finally be engraved on the bowl on Sunday.
