Looking Down: How the 2. Bundesliga Is Faring with 5 Games Left

This past weekend, the Bundesliga’s title race came to a close with Bayer Leverkusen claiming the Meisterschale after a 5-0 win over Werder Bremen. There is still one Bundesliga title race still going on, however. That’s right! The 2. Bundesliga is entering its climax with 5 games left and there is still a lot to play for clubs across Germany’s second tier. Let’s take a look at how it is unfolding and how some old friends are faring!

The Table

The Title Race: Northern Upstarts are Toppling Fallen Giants

Two clubs have taken charge of the 2. Bundesliga’s title race; Holstein Kiel and FC St. Pauli. Only 50 miles separate these two teams in Northern Germany and they find themselves in a razor-thin title race. Holstein Kiel have come close to promotion in recent years and are now in the driver’s seat to achieve Bundesliga status for the first time. Led by 44-year-old former Hoffenheim youth coach, Marcel Rapp, Holstein Kiel have propelled themselves to the top of the table without any true ‘Star’ players. Instead, the Storks are the definition of a team collective with goals coming across the field rather than single individuals made up of veteran Bundesliga players like Lewis Holtby and rising youth players like Dortmund-loanee Tom Rothe and former Bayern striker Jann-Fiete Arp. Now, with 5 games remaining and a goal difference of 13-0 in their last 5 games, Kiel are easily title favorites. In order to claim the title, however, they have to get results against four of the Bundesliga fallen giants; Hamburg, Kaiserslautern, Dusseldorf, and Hannover 96. If Kiel win against Hamburg this weekend, they are almost guaranteed top three thanks to a +13 goal difference.

Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Vying for the championship alongside Kiel is everyone’s favorite cult team, FC St. Pauli. The Buccaneers are only one point behind and are propelled by star player, Marcel Hartel, who leads the second division in goals + assists from attacking midfield. Playing alongside Hartel is a mosaic of vastly different profiles including 31-year-old Aussie, Jackson Irvine, in defensive midfield and former Bremen striker Johannes Eggestein. St. Pauli were leading the division for much of the season but two defeats in recent weeks have seen them slide and their 11-point cushion for automatic promotion has been reduced to just 5 points. They have an easier schedule then Kiel but their cross-town class with Hamburger on matchday 32 could see anything happen.

Behind FC St. Pauli are four clubs with Bundesliga pedigree. Fortuna Düsseldorf are 5 points behind and currently situated in the Bundesliga playoff position. While Düsseldorf’s DFB Pokal run in the DFB Pokal was ended by Leverkusen in the semifinals, the club can now focus their efforts on securing promotion. In fourth place is Hamburger SV, who find themselves in the 2 Bundesliga for a fifth year after successive title collapses. Now coached by former Köln boss, Steffen Baumgart, Hamburg have their destiny in their own hands with matches against both Kiel and St. Pauli allowing them to close the distance on two of their promotion rivals. Both games will prove difficult, however, and the three-point gap behind the promotion playoff spot may prove too difficult to overcome.

The Recently Relegated

Last season, two established benevolent Bundesliga giants decided to grace the 2 Bundesliga. Hertha Berlin currently find themselves in sixth place due to a topsy-turvy start to the season where they lost six of their opening ten matches. The Old Lady have righted the ship, however and slowly made their way up the table since September. The key? Get the ball to Haris Tabakovic. The 29-year-old Bosnian is the league’s top goal scorer and can boast close to a goal involvement every game (0.98 G+A per 90). Hertha are 8 points outside of the promotion and cannot be relegated at this point - they will be a Bundesliga 2 club next season.

Borussia Dortmund’s age-old rival, Schalke, have made headlines this season after former chairman, Clemens Toennies, warned that the club was facing “sporting and financial ruin” as they hovered above the relegation zone. While Toennies’ accusations should be taken with a grain of salt, the meat-packing mogul was ousted from the club due to racist comments he made and poor working conditions in his factories during the COVID pandemic, but Schalke are in a dangerous spot.

Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images

From a sporting perspective, the Smurfs are only 6 points clear of the automatic relegation zone despite being in twelfth place. They have found their form in recent weeks and I would bet in favor of them staying in the league. Schalke’s squad, however, is awful. They have the highest annual payroll of any 2. Bundesliga squad of around 30 million euros. For reference, that is 10 million euros above Hamburg, the second highest wage bill in the 2 Bundesliga, and only 5 million euros below VFB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. They also feature the second oldest starting lineup in the league, with an average of of 26.9, and feature very few promising talents with Assan Ouedraogo being the only notable name. Don’t worry - he has already been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

Schalke’s problems all culminate in a large wage bill of older and underperforming players who are happy to ride out their expensive contracts while the club navigates €180m of debt. Their lackluster squad means they have few assets to sell while the club continues to cut costs both on and off the field including layoffs of non-playing staff and waiting for contracts to expire.

While the rumors of Schalke’s demise into the third tier and bankruptcy were overblown, especially with survival in the 2 Bundesliga looking likely, things are still bleak. Putting rivalries aside, any fan of German soccer and of the 50+1 ideology should be rooting for Schalke fix their financial woes and, with a little luck and a lot of skill, start improving on the pitch.

The Relegation Battle

The relegation battle in the 2. Bundesliga is close this season - very close. As mentioned, Schalke are on the fringes but the five teams below them are all at risk. While VfL Osnabrück look set to bounce back down to the 3. Bundesliga after being rock bottom all season long, the two teams to look at FC Kaiserslautern and Hansa Rostok. For those unaware, FC Kaiserslautern have a rich history in Germany football as an original Bundesliga member and are one of eight teams to have won multiple Bundesliga titles. Now, Kaiserslautern are trying to avoid bouncing between the 3. Liga and 2. Bundesliga but things are looking bleak as they sit three points away from safety. The good news? Well, Kaiserslautern are DFB Pokal finalists after all! Despite battling relegation with the most goals conceded in the league, Lautern are will play Leverkusen in the Pokal final and will be hoping they can claim the title despite only playing one first division side in the competition so far, FC Koln.

The last team we are going to look at is Hansa Rostok. Hansa are one of the few Eastern Germany teams to have spent time in the Bundesliga since the country’s reunification. They have been a midtable 2 Bundesliga side for the past two seasons and looked set to build upon those finishes after nine years in the 3. Liga. Unfortunately, they now find themselves tied with 3 teams on 31 points. Relegation is far from certain with Hansa’s lowly 27 goals scored and poor form in recent weeks. Will the team with the best crest in German football be relegated? We’ll find out within 5 match days!

Your Thoughts

Who do you want to see be promoted? What are your thoughts on Hertha Berlin and Schalke? Do you ever watch 2. Bundesliga games?