Bundesliga relegation
May 19, 2015
Finally, the Bundesliga's much-publicized relegation battle has reached its climax. This coming Saturday five teams could still go down. Even Hertha Berlin could also be forced into the relegation playoff match against a contender from the second division.
The most important games on the final matchday of the season will be Hannover vs. Freiburg and Paderborn against Stuttgart, while Hamburg vs. Schalke is also crucial for the northern Germany club.
These are the scenarios confronting the bottom six teams as they go into the final Bundesliga weekend of this season.
Hertha Berlin ...
... will stay in the first division next season if they win, draw or lose by only one goal in their match against Hoffenheim on Saturday.
... will have to play in the relegation playoff if they lose by two goals or more, if at the same time Hannover manages a draw against Freiburg and Stuttgart beats Paderborn.
... has basically no chance of going down directly, because they have a goal difference which is 12 goals better than Hamburg.
Current position: 13th / 35 points / Goal difference: -15
SC Freiburg ...
... will stay in the first division if they win or draw against Hannover. They'll also stay up if they lose, as long as Stuttgart and Hamburg also do the same.
... will slide into the relegation playoff if they lose, if either Stuttgart or Hamburg manage a win.
... will go down directly if they lose and Stuttgart and Hamburg both win.
Current position: 14th / 34 points / Goal difference: -10
Hannover 96...
... will stay in the first division next season if they beat Freiburg. A draw would only be sufficient if Stuttgart loses to Paderborn. Should Stuttgart win, Hertha Berlin would have to lose by two goals or more for Hannover to stay in the Bundesliga.
... will have to play in the relegation playoff if they draw with Freiburg and - at the same time - Stuttgart beats Paderborn and Hertha loses by less than two goals against Hoffenheim. If they lose by one goal, Hannover will head to the playoff too, if Stuttgart or Hamburg win. If they lose by two or more goals, the 96ers could also head to the playoff, as long as Stuttgart draws and Hamburg doesn't win.
... will go straight down if they lose and, at the same time, Stuttgart beats Paderborn and HSV beats Schalke.
Current position: 15th / 34 points / Goal difference: -17
VfB Stuttgart...
... will stay in the top flight if they beat Paderborn or draw with them. That's as long as Hannover loses to Freiburg by two goals or more and Hamburg loses to Schalke.
... has to play in the relegation playoff if they draw with Paderborn, Hamburg doesn't beat Schalke and Hannover loses by less than two goals against Freiburg. Stuttgart will also head to the relegation match after a draw, if HSV beats Schalke and Hannover loses by at least two goals against Freiburg.
... will go straight down if they lose against Paderborn. They'll also be playing in the second division next season if they draw, and Hamburg beat Schalke and Hannover loses by less than two goals.
Current position: 16th / 33 points / Goal difference: -19
Hamburg ...
... could stay up if they beat Schalke this Saturday. At the same time, Stuttgart has to not win in Paderborn, and Hannover vs. Freiburg can't end in a draw.
... will play in the relegation if they win against the Royal Blues and at the same time, Stuttgart doesn't beat Paderborn and the game between Hannover and Freiburg ends in a draw. The other option: Stuttgart beats Paderborn and Hannover and Freiburg doesn't end in a draw. That would also mean relegation playoff time for Hamburg.
... will definitely be going down directly if they draw or lose against Schalke. They could even go down if they win at home. For that to happen, Stuttgart would have to beat Paderborn and Hannover and Freiburg would have to end in a draw though.
Current position: 17th / 32 points / Goal difference: -27
SC Paderborn...
... can only stay up in the first division via the relegation playoff against the third-best team from the second division.
... will get to the aforementioned relegation game if they win against Stuttgart, and at the same time Hamburg can't win against Schalke.
... will go straight down if they only manage a draw or loss against Stuttgart. Paderborn will also go straight down if they win against Stuttgart and Hamburg beats Schalke.
Current position: 18th / 31 points / Goal difference: -33
pjr, asz / al (dpa, SID)