By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Three points or one more victory will see Bayer Leverkusen end their 120-year wait to be crowned champions of Germany, and they will feel confident, with mid-table SV Werder Bremen arriving as one of the division’s out-of-form sides.
Things could be decided earlier than that, though, should FC Bayern München and VfB Stuttgart slip up on Saturday.
Eleven-time defending champions Bayern, still reeling from back-to-back defeats against Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Heidenheim 1846, host an 1. FC Köln side who may be sniffing blood. Timo Schultz’s men will be fighting tooth and nail to make a move out of the automatic relegation places, having kept their hopes alive with a last-gasp victory over VfL Bochum 1848 last time out.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, take on fellow European challengers Eintracht Frankfurt in the evening as they continue to defy the odds during a dream campaign. Forced to salvage their top flight status via the play-off last season, Sebastian Hoeneß’s side could well finish runners-up this year. A Serhou Guirassy-inspired 1-0 win in Dortmund has them now level on points with Bayern in second and set for a UEFA Champions League return.
Should both Stuttgart and Bayern lose on Saturday, Leverkusen will be crowned champions without kicking a ball. It means Frankfurt could prove kingmakers as they look to cement their position in sixth and secure UEFA Europa League football.
Some 11 points ahead of them in fourth are RB Leipzig, who took a big leap towards Champions League qualification last time out by beating SC Freiburg 4-1. Next up are VfL Wolfsburg, who have won one and lost one under Ralph Hasenhüttl and are still looking nervously over their shoulders at the bottom three only five points below.
Keen to capitalise on a Leipzig slip-up will be Dortmund, who are behind Die Roten Bullen and outside a guaranteed Champions League spot only on goal difference. Edin Terzić’s men make the short trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach, whose inconsistent campaign could still end in European qualification.
Further down the table a resurgent 1. FSV Mainz 05 are putting together a great escape under Bo Henriksen. After a dominant 4-0 victory over SV Darmstadt 98 on Matchday 28, the 05ers take on high-flying TSG Hoffenheim with a chance to move ever-closer to survival.
Mainz will be counting on Bayern’s conquerors Heidenheim to continue their fairytale story with victory over Bochum, who dismissed coach Thomas Letsch on Monday, which could open up a route to automatic survival. Elsewhere in the relegation fight, Darmstadt face a must-win clash with Freiburg to stand any chance of not finishing the season bottom of the table.
Christian Streich’s Freiburg will also have an eye on Friday’s curtain-raiser that sees FC Augsburg, who are level on points with them, take on FC Union Berlin at the WWK Arena. It’s a significant fixture at both ends of the table, with both teams hoping to start off a spectacular weekend in fitting fashion.