Bayern are champions, runners-up Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig qualified for the Champions League, SC Paderborn relegated. Important decisions have already been made before today’s final in the Bundesliga, but far from all of them.
Master ceremony: Receiving the championship trophy has been an annual event for FC Bayern professionals since 2013. But honoring title number 30 will still be a new experience for captain Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Co. Finally, after the whistle blows against VfL Wolfsburg in the Volkswagen Arena in Corona times, the ceremony will take place without an audience. In sports terms, the master ensemble of coach Hansi Flick can also pursue one goal a week before the DFB Cup final against Leverkusen in Berlin: four goals are missing for the 100-goal mark, five are up to the league record of Gerd-Müller-Bayern Season 1971/72.
Champions League: Mönchengladbach could do great things: Borussia has the best chance of moving into the Champions League. One point against Hertha BSC could be enough. Bayer Leverkusen as the main competitor has two points and nine goals behind. “We know about the task and the great opportunity that we have in our own hands. The conditions are clear,” said trainer Marco Rose.
Europa League: In addition to the loser of the duel between Gladbach and Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and the tied TSG Hoffenheim will play in the Europa League. VfL want to defend sixth place against Bayern, which means the direct entry into the group phase. The seventh still has to play several qualifying matches. Hoffenheim would therefore like to advance, but faces a difficult task in Dortmund.
descent: In the fight for the relegation place between Düsseldorf and Bremen, Werder has to beat 1. FC Köln and hope for a slip of the Fortuna. The Rhinelander played for 1. FC Union Berlin, who had already been rescued, and in recent weeks made an overall stronger impression than Bremen. The Fortuna, which is two points and four goals ahead of the North Germans on the relegation site, was often not rewarded for good performance. Therefore, the Rösler team has to tremble to the end – and Werder, unlike the already relegated SC Paderborn, can continue to hope.
Schalke crisis: Everyone at Schalke is waiting for the end of the negative series. If the team does not win in Freiburg, it would be the 16th consecutive game without a win. Coach David Wagner also longs for a positive conclusion on Saturday. “Regardless of our series, it’s a lot nicer to go into the summer break with a positive experience,” he said. Anyway, there is currently a fire in every corner and end. The supervisory board chief Clemens Tönnies is under pressure because of the corona outbreak in his meat company, the board of directors because of some wrong decisions and rejections and the team because of the failures. Everyone is happy when the season is over.
Silent goodbyes: The end of this extraordinary football season is also accompanied by many silent goodbyes. Some veterans and former top-class athletes leave; including World Cup goal scorer Götze, oldie Claudio Pizarro and noble technician Coutinho.
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