podcast
The penultimate matchday in the Bundesliga has not yet resulted in a decision in many table regions. It will be exciting on the last matchday not only in the fight to stay in the league and for the Champions League places. Even who is in seventh place – and especially who isn’t – could end up being important for several teams.
After the historic entry into the Europa League final on Thursday, SC Freiburg had the chance on Sunday to qualify for the international business of the coming season via the league. Seventh place would mean the playoffs for the Conference League. Due to Freiburg’s defeat at Hamburger SV, the race remains open. But there is also another chance.
Freiburg to the Champions League, Augsburg to Europe?
Despite being 17 points behind fourth place in the Bundesliga table, Freiburg is only one win away from playing in the Champions League next season: they will face Aston Villa in the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20th. Winning the title would be equivalent to taking part in the premier class. However, the Bundesliga could lose a starting place in the Conference League.
Unlike the DFB Cup winner, the starting place is not automatically passed on when winning an international competition if the team has already qualified for the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League via the league. To put it simply: If Freiburg wins the Europa League and ends up in the top 7 in the league, there will still be no eight German starters in the European competitions next season.
Eintracht and Augsburg are in waiting position
For Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg, this also means that they have to hope for a mistake by Freiburg on the last matchday against RB Leipzig, because there will only be away trips across Europe in the coming season up to seventh place. Both teams are tied for eighth and ninth place. However, Frankfurt has a significantly better goal difference. Nevertheless, the Augsburg team made a more solid impression in the final spurt.
“There’s a lot of positive things coming together right now.”says Sportschau presenter Alex Schlüter in the “Bundesliga Update” podcast and alludes to Augsburg’s 1-0 and 3-1 goals against Borussia Mönchengladbach (final score 3-1): “This game was exemplary – if you look at the game through the eyes of Michael Gregoritsch. How correctly can a man stand?”
“I could imagine Augsburg in the Conference League”also thinks podcast host Anne Hilt. In the current episode of the Bundesliga Update, both also discuss whether FCA coach Manuel Baum’s contract, which runs until the end of the season, needs to be extended: “I could imagine that the decision is his. He will definitely have a job after the season.” Before Baum took over as interim coach in December, he was director of development at FCA.
“It could happen that Frankfurt completely misses its goals for the season.”
The situation is different for Eintracht coach Albert Riera. His Frankfurters no longer have it in their own hands whether they can plan the international away trips that are so popular with the fans. On the last matchday we will also face VfB Stuttgart, who currently have the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League. “Even if they manage to do this somehow, Riera will leave”Alex Schlüter is certain.
He also expresses a lack of understanding for Markus Krösche’s commitment to the coach, who actually is “always the right people” fetch. “I think they just wanted an ‘anti-Toppmöller’ too much because they thought that was what the team needed.”says Anne Hilt. After the last matchday, that could turn out to be a mistake.
Riera took over the team in a phase in which Frankfurt regularly conceded at least three goals. Since Riera took over, the Frankfurt team only had to fish the ball out of their own net against the top 3 teams. Nevertheless, successes often failed to materialize. It is only thanks to the accurate offensive on the other side that Eintracht can still dream of Europe and not find themselves in less comfortable regions of the table.
The fight to stay in the league is more exciting than ever
Three teams are tied at the bottom of the table before the last Bundesliga matchday. Alex Schlüter reveals in the podcast that he will be there live in the stadium when FC St. Pauli (18th place) and VfL Wolfsburg (16th place) meet in a direct duel. Should he witness a draw, 1. FC Heidenheim (17th place) could leave the last match day in third place and actually make the miracle of staying in the league come true.
How did this come about? Anne Hilt and Alex Schlüter also discuss this in the current episode “Bundesliga Update”.
The Bundesliga update – every Thursday and Monday
The Bundesliga update is available on ARD Sounds, everywhere there are podcasts and on the Sportschau football channel on YouTube. New episodes appear on Thursday afternoons and Monday mornings.
