A groundbreaking round is about to take place in the German Bundesliga in the fight against relegation. The penultimate Cologne will welcome 15th Bochum on Saturday (from 3:30 p.m. in the LIVE ticker), while at the same time the bottom team Darmstadt will be playing at 16th Mainz (in the LIVE ticker).
It’s about nothing less than first-class quality, but above all about a lot of money and existence. “Basically, you need a tolerance for frustration,” Thomas Kessler, head of the licensed player department at 1. FC Köln, summed it up.
Darmstadt is probably already fighting for its last chance
Before the 28th matchday, Mainz occupied the relegation place with 20 points. The guests from Bochum have 26 points and could possibly climb up a bit from 15th place with a win, but in any case could further expand their lead over Mainz and possibly also over Cologne and/or Darmstadt.
Cologne have 19 points, Darmstadt 14. For the Hessians, the relegation duel could possibly be what feels like their last chance to at least get closer to the relegation place in the first season after the Bundesliga return.
Wolfsburg with new coach Ralph Hasenhüttl and Gladbach have 28 points each before the direct duel on Sunday. The winner will probably free himself from any worries about relegation, the loser will have to at least sharpen his gaze downwards a little.
Cologne with a down and up routine
The relegation battle will most likely be decided between Bochum, Mainz, Cologne and Darmstadt. Instead of four wins, the quartet will have to say: two lose, one can still hope for relegation by May 18th at around 5:30 p.m. after the final whistle of the 34th and final matchday.
In Cologne, where two ÖFB legionnaires, Florian Kainz and Dejan Ljubicic, are under contract, they are prepared for the event of relegation despite the summer transfer ban. “Even if we were relegated, we would now achieve a balanced result. We could survive a second division year without being in the red because we have already changed a lot,” emphasized sports director Christian Keller.
The people of Cologne also have a certain routine. The FC has always been able to repair its previous six relegations quickly: the club was promoted straight back four times, twice in the second year.
Darmstadt pushes away the threat of relegation
Bottom team Darmstadt doesn’t really want to deal with the idea of relegation yet. “We still absolutely believe in staying in the league. Accordingly, we will only comment specifically on the sporting and economic consequences of relegation if this case actually occurs,” emphasized President Rüdiger Fritsch. According to Fritsch, the team of Austrians Christoph Klarer, Emir Karic and Mathias Honsak is still prepared for various scenarios.
In the event of Mainz’s first relegation since 2007, financial concerns would arise. “A loss of fifty percent in our largest source of income would of course hurt us,” said Mainz sports director Christian Heidel to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” with a view to the income from media revenues of the German Football League (DFL).
A home win against Darmstadt would probably open the door to direct relegation for Karim Onisiwo, Philipp Mwene and Co. and put Bochum under pressure with Kevin Stöger.
Leverkusen wants to get closer to Meisterteller at Union
A completely different world of emotions currently prevails in Leverkusen. Three days after confidently reaching the cup final, the “Werkself” want to take the next step towards the championship title at Union Berlin.
“We are in a position where we can win the title, but it’s not over yet,” warned coach Xabi Alonso. Leverkusen’s lead over their pursuers Bayern is 13 points with seven rounds still remaining. The Munich team (60 points) are visiting Heidenheim and want to secure second place against Stuttgart (57) and Dortmund (53).
Leipzig (50) also wants to have a strong say in the fight for the Champions League places. The Saxons are aiming for three points in Freiburg, after which Marco Rose will say goodbye to his coaching colleague Christian Streich. “I packed a bottle for him to enjoy when he has a little more free time,” Rose said.
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2024-04-05 14:27:39
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