Saturday 15th May 2021
Cologne trembles, Mainz almost through
This is how the clubs fight for league survival
The relegation battle in the Bundesliga is approaching its climax. Schalke has been relegated, Mainz is almost saved – but in between two game days before the end, five clubs are fighting for survival. Above all, 1. FC Köln has their backs to the wall, in the worst case scenario, relegation is already sealed this Saturday. FC Augsburg welcomes their direct competitor Werder Bremen.
FSV Mainz 05 (12th place / 36 points / 35: 51 goals):
The culmination of the impressive race to catch up under coach Bo Svensson seems only a matter of form for FSV Mainz 05. With one point against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday (6 p.m. in the ntv.de live ticker) The Rheinhessen can remove the last doubts about the league’s whereabouts on their own, the last defeat of the Rheinhessen dates back to February. If the competition fails, the rescue might already be perfect on Saturday. And then when Bielefeld (against Hoffenheim) and Bremen (against Augsburg) do not win their games.
Svensson wants to “watch the conference in the hotel” together with the team. There are “a few scenarios in which it can turn out positively for us. If they happen, we would celebrate a little,” said the Dane: “Then we would have done something brutal.”
Hertha BSC (13./34/40:50):
Pal Dardai can’t forbid his team to look at the table. But the Berlin coach doesn’t want to show off the good starting position either. In the end, nothing changes in the approach to the first “match ball”. “We always play to win,” said Dardai: “We don’t want to draw, even if we know that one point could be enough.” The fact that it goes against the even more threatened Cologne may make it easier for Hertha. Even with a draw, Hertha has at least the relegation place, as Cologne can no longer pass.
Seven games without defeat make it possible that Hertha BSC is almost saved. The staff worries, however, depress the mood. After various failures and suspensions, home grown Jessic Ngankam, who won the 2-1 win at Schalke, is just as questionable as Rio World Champion Sami Khedira. Hertha would have to continue to tremble if they lost to Cologne, but they still have relegation in their own hands.
FC Augsburg (14./33/32:49):
After the unsuccessful debut of returnees Markus Weinzierl (1: 2 in Stuttgart), the pressure on the FCA has increased again. It was not for nothing that the coach spoke of “two finals” before the games against Werder Bremen and at champions Bayern Munich. But the Augsburgers see themselves armed for the fight to stay in the league. The improved performance at VfB gave hope. “We have to continue like this, then we will be rewarded in the end,” said manager Stefan Reuter. With a win against Bremen Augsburg would secure relegation.
Werder Bremen (15./31/34:51):
Despite all the explosiveness in the table cellar, coach Florian Kohfeldt never tires of pointing out the significant difference to the previous year. “If we win both games, we are through. We have it in our own hands, that gives you a different feeling,” said the coach before the game at table neighbors FC Augsburg. In 2020, the Hanseatic League had only secured relegation in relegation and was dependent on help in the fight against direct relegation. In retrospect, Kohfeldt said: “These are empirical values that one actually likes to do without.”
But even with a win against Augsburg Werder is not sure of relegation. It depends on the results of the competition. Bielefeld shouldn’t win. As soon as Cologne loses in Berlin, Bremen would only have to fight against the relegation place.
Arminia Bielefeld (16./31/23:51):
Fabian Klos has already calculated. “Two draws will not be enough,” said the captain of the Ostwestfalen with a view to the encounters against TSG Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart. A small advantage for the Bielefeld company could be the psychological aspect. It was already clear before the season that the promoted team would have to fight to stay up until the last day of the match. Unlike many other competitors, the team was aware of this. “Pretty much everyone guessed that we were relegated two game days before the end. Now we want to make the big dream a reality,” said sports director Samir Arabi.
The same applies to Bielefeld: If Cologne loses in Berlin, East Westphalia itself will only fight against relegation. However, if Bielefeld loses – and Cologne wins at the same time – Arminia slips down to 17th place. Then everything would depend on the 34th matchday.
1. FC Köln (17./29/33:60):
The Rhinelander have clarified the coaching question for the future by signing Steffen Baumgart. But the seventh relegation in the club’s history from the Bundesliga is already threatened on Saturday. In the event of a defeat at Hertha BSC and wins by rivals Bielefeld and Bremen, FC could no longer be saved. “I am convinced that we will still have the opportunity to stay in the Bundesliga on matchday 34,” said coach Friedhelm Funkel.
FC Schalke 04 (18./13/21:82):
The descent is certain. Dimitrios Grammozis continues to assume that as a coach he will be able to tackle the rise of the company next season. The latest status is that “they are planning the second division together,” emphasized the fifth Schalke coach of the season. His record hardly differs from that of his predecessors: one win, one draw, seven defeats. The next one could be added against Eintracht Frankfurt. Then it would also be clear that Schalke is the worst relegated since the introduction of the three-point rule in 1995. In terms of arithmetic, it is still about something despite the relegation.
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