For the last time this season there will be Bundesliga football on Sunday. Before the final two matchdays are played all at the same time, SC Paderborn play hosts to VfL Wolfsburg (15:30) – a battle between two sides with completely different expectations: Wolfsburg on the one hand are aiming for Europe, whilst Paderborn are clinging onto Bundesliga football. The West derby between 1. FC Köln and FC Schalke 04 round up the matchday in the afternoon kick off (17:30).
SC Paderborn were the biggest winners last weekend. With the win against SC Freiburg, André Breitenreiter’s team not only gained a vital three points over their relegation rivals, but they also sprang out of the relegation zone. Paderborn currently lie in 15th place with a one point lead over Freiburg in the relegation play-off place.
Paderborn may not play the nicest football, but they more than satisfied their fans with their fight, determination and passion to turn around the game around from 1-0 down to win 2-1. Now the newly promoted side holds their own fate in their hands.
It doesn’t get much harder than their next game, as they hope to continue securing point for safety, as they play host to VfL Wolfsburg, even though the Wolfs have faded somewhat in the league in recent weeks. Dieter Hecking’s team have not won in their last three games in the league, meaning they still haven’t quite secured qualification to the Champions League.
They are only four points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who are currently fourth placed in the league. Wolfsburg could yet fall victim to an upset, even if Hecking’s side are successful against the relegation candidates.
Schalke’s attack faced with tough challenge in Köln
1. FC Köln have surprised many this season. With three games to go, the newly promoted side have all but guaranteed their Bundesliga status for next season. Köln sit six points ahead of the relegation zone, meaning a win against Schalke would be enough to keep them up. The newly promoted side are unbeaten in four matches (W1, D3), though they had to deal with the news this week that top scorer Anthony Ujah would be joining Werder Bremen at the end of the season.
For large spells of the match against Stuttgart, not many would have expected Schalke to be smiling much in training this week. Roberto Di Matteo’s team needed a last-minute winner to beat the relegation candidates, even though it came from an own goal.
So with the victory at Stuttgart, Schalke kept their three point lead over seventh place, as well as their momentum towards the Europa League, though it’s clear that they have a long way to go before they can compete with those above them. Particularly the attack, which managed just one goal in five games before Stuttgart, will no doubt have problems against the compact Köln defence on Sunday. FC have played eleven 0-0 draws this season already.