The Bundesliga concludes on Saturday with all 18 clubs in action and there’s still plenty to be resolved in the fight for European places and the battle to avoid relegation.
At the top, Bayern Munich have already wrapped up the title, Borussia Dortmund have sealed second place and RB Leipzig in third are also assured of a top-four finish due to their vastly-superior goal difference.
Battle for Last Champions League Place
But Bayer Leverkusen, in fifth, could yet edge fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach out of the Champions League spots if they beat Mainz and Borussia lose at home to Hertha Berlin.
That seems an unlikely scenario, however, with Monchengladbach 20/57* favourites to see off 10th-place Hertha, who have little to play for, while Bayer (1/4 to win) should at least keep their side of the bargain by overcoming Mainz.
Europa League Places Up For Grabs
The teams finishing fifth and sixth will secure Europa League group places, while seventh is good enough to enter that competition at the second qualifying round stage. With either Bayer or Borussia in line for fifth, Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg are locked together on 49 points but both face tough clashes against the top two.
Even if Bayern (4/6 to beat Wolfsburg) and Dortmund (5/7 to beat Hoffenheim) rotate their sides and have their feet off the gas on the final day, it’s a tough ask for either the Wolves or Die Kraichgauer to pick up a required victory ,so it’s likely things will stay as they are with Wolfsburg finishing sixth and Hoffenheim ending the campaign one place below.
Bremen and Fortuna in Relegation Scrap
At the bottom, Paderborn are guaranteed to finish 18th but Werder Bremen and Fortuna Dusseldorf are both aiming to avoid slipping down in the second automatic relegation spot and will hope to claim the relegation play-off place instead, where they get the chance to survive if they can beat whoever comes third in Bundesliga 2 in a two-legged play-off.
Fortuna hold a two-point advantage so 16th is theirs to throw away as they also have a four-goal better goal difference. It makes for a slightly confusing picture but victory over the Billy Goats will be enough if Dusseldorf lose away at Union Berlin (14/5).
If Fortuna draw (5/2), Werder will need to beat Cologne by four clear goals (4-0 win – 22/1).
Any Dusseldorf win (20/21) would mean they go into the play-off, and Bremen would be relegated regardless of the result at the Weserstadion.
