Will the Bundesliga see the return of famous clubs? The battle for promotion to the elite reaches its climax, Pavlenko’s Werder lose their lead

Last season, the Bundesliga said goodbye to two big clubs, with the famous Schalke relegated to the second league and Werder Bremen, the record holder in the number of first league games across Germany. Both clubs, however, are fighting for a quick return to the elite. How are things looking in Germany’s second league?

2. The Bundesliga has already completed 29 rounds after this weekend, so each team has five games to play before the end of the competition. However, the table is still very even, with at least a mathematical chance of promotion for half of the teams. Moreover, given the balance of the competition, virtually nothing can be ruled out.

Current 2. Bundesliga table up to 10th place

1. Schalke – 53 points
2. Werder Bremen – 53 points
3. St. Pauli – 52 points
4. Darmstadt – 51 points
5. Nuremberg – 49 points
6. Hamburg – 45 points
7. Heidenheim – 45 points
8. Paderborn – 41 points
9. Karlsruhe – 39 points
10. Regensburg – 38 points

The first two places guarantee direct promotion to the elite, while third place means a barrage against the team that finishes 16th in the top flight.

Schalke are in the best form, but the lot is playing into the hands of others

Schalke are now riding a wave of four wins to leapfrog Werder, who are second in the table due to a worse match and worse record. The second best current form is that of fifth-placed Nuremberg, who have won three of their last five games.

However, the table standings and form are likely to change in the last few rounds. The extremely tough draw is for leaders Schalke, who face Darmstadt (4th), Bremen (2nd), Sandhausen (15th), St. Pauli (3rd) and Nuremberg (5th).

St. Pauli also has a very tough draw, first facing Sandhausen (15th), followed by a tough series of games against Darmstadt (4th), Nuremberg (5th), Schalke (1st), and then closing the season with Düsseldorf (13th).

Bremen have two tough matches ahead of them, against Nuremberg and Schalke, but after that Werder can look forward to “easier” matches against Kiel (11th), Aue (18th) and in the last round they will play Regensburg (10th) at home.

Hamburg and Heidenheim have the most promising draw in terms of table position. Both teams have one match against one of the teams in the top half of the table, in both cases it is a clash with Karlsruhe (9th). However, it will be mainly Hamburg who will want to fight for promotion, as they have been in the second league for too long for the size of their name.

However, Werder and Schalke can definitely be expected to finish in the top three. The question is who will complete these famous teams. Will it be Hamburg, Nuremberg, or will St. Pauli surprise and make a spectacular success?

Source: 2. Bundesliga