The 2019/2020 Bundesliga season is set to come to a close this Saturday, and it has arguably been one of the most unique campaigns fans have seen in recent times.
Both for good reasons, and bad, unfortunately. The COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in China sometime last year and spread worldwide forced a shutdown of the league and thus meant that proceedings, which normally end in May, will not finish until nearly in July. Even once football resumed, it was not like what we are all used to. No fans were allowed in the stadiums. Players had to socially distance on the bench. There were no jersey-swaps after matches. And there was still an overwhelming sense of justifiable concern about safety and health for everyone involved.
On the positive side, however, for a bit, the title race did seem like it could be a multi-horse affair, at least in the first half of the season. That is, until Bayern got back to business and began to leave everyone else in the dust once Hansi Flick took over, and now die Roten have won yet another title on the spin to make it eight consecutive Bundesliga crowns and counting.
Although the title race was decided early, with Dortmund having to settle for a runners-up spot once again, there's still plenty to play for on the final matchday. Here's what fans have to look out for heading into matchday 34, as there are still some stories yet to be written on what is set to be a very busy June 27th, with all nine games taking place at the same time.
Match of the weekend: Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz
It's win or no Champions League football for Leverkusen, who come into this game sitting in fifth spot and two points behind fourth-placed Gladbach, who, as things stand, will be featuring in that tournament at the expense of die Werkself. Ironically, Gladbach will be facing Hertha Berlin, the same team that handed Leverkusen a shock 2-0 loss to dent their chances at qualifying for the Champions League, in their final match of the 2019/2020 season.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, will have to shake off that bad result as they take on Mainz, as a win in this game may not be enough. They will need the same Hertha Berlin to at least cause some problems for Gladbach - namely, to beat them so as they could theoretically sneak into fourth spot and again pip die Fohlen to a place in the Champions League.
Peter Bosz's men are also in action in the DFB-Pokal against Bavarian titans Bayern in a week's time, and he'll want to have everyone fit for that match as it presents a great chance at winning some silverware this season. However, the manager will face a tricky choice as this game is absolutely vital in his team securing a spot in European club football's top competition next season, but he'll have to figure out how to balance that ambition with trying to make a serious push for clinching the DFB-Pokal next week as well.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
This match was not broadcast in United States
International Coverage:
Austria: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 7
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go Deutschland, Sky Sport Bundesliga 7
Ireland: TNT Sports 3, discovery+, discovery+ App
Switzerland: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 7
United Kingdom:
Talking points ahead of the final matchday of the 2019/2020 season
The battle to avoid the drop - who will end up in the 2.Bundesliga and who will be given a lifeline?
So far, only Paderborn has been assured of their fate and will be playing in the 2.Bundesliga next season. Thanks to a late surge in form, as well as having picked up enough points at just the right moments, teams like Augsburg, Mainz, and Köln managed to do just enough to steer clear of the drop zone and also avoid having to secure their top-flight status through the dreaded two-legged play-offs.
Unfortunately, however, Werder Bremen and Fortuna Düsseldorf weren't so lucky. One of these teams will be relegated at the conclusion of matchday 34, while one of them will get another chance to try to remain in the top tier via battling a 2.Bundesliga side.
Here's how the table looks ahead of matchday 34:
Fortunately for both teams, perhaps, neither are facing opponents in the top half of the table. Werder Bremen will take on Köln, who sit in 14th place, while Fortuna travel to face with 12th-placed Union Berlin at the same time on Saturday.
Right now, though, the advantage is firmly in Fortuna's court. If both teams lose, Bremen will be relegated. A draw won't be good enough for Bremen, either, nor will a win.
Simply put, Werder Bremen will need to win their match and hope that Union Berlin do them a huge favor by beating Fortuna this Saturday.
Things are going to be very interesting indeed!
Who will secure a spot in the UCL?
Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have already locked down two spots, meaning that there are just two spots remaining for Champions League football. However, there are three teams still in contention: RB Leipzig, Borussia Moenchengladbach, and Bayer Leverkusen.
Of the three, Leipzig pretty much has their spot locked up, so it looks set to come down to a close race again between Gladbach and Leverkusen. Last season, die Fohlen had to settle for fifth spot and play in the Europa League, while die Werkself finished in fourth, thus securing a place in Europe's premier club competition.
Now, as things stand, it looks like the situations could end up reversed heading into the 2020/2021 campaign, if both teams end up with the same results from their respective matches.
Leverkusen are in action against Mainz, while Gladbach take on Hertha Berlin, simultaneously on Saturday at 9:30 EST/15:30 CET.
Team news ahead of matchday 34 - Who's definitely out, in doubt, and suspended?
Here are the key players who are definitely missing due to injury or suspension. Also included are players who in doubt due to fitness or other issues and thus could miss out for their respective sides heading into the final matchday of the 2019/2020 season:
Bayern Munich: Thiago (groin injury); Corentin Tolisso (ankle injury ); In doubt - Lars Mai (ankle injury )
Borussia Dortmund: Manuel Akanji (calf injury); Emre Can (suspended); Mahmoud Dahoud (knee injury); Thomas Delaney (muscular issues), Mario Götze (personal reasons); Marco Reus (groin injury); In doubt - Marwin Hitz (back injury ); Marcel Schmelzer (knee injury)
RB Leipzig: Youssuf Poulsen (ankle injury); Marcel Sabitzer (knee); Hannes Wolf (ankle); In doubt - Ethan Ampadu (match fitness); Emil Forsberg (knee injury); Konrad Laimer (illness), Patrik Schick (knee injury)
Borussia M'Gladbach: Marcus Thuram (ankle injury), Denis Zakaria (knee); In doubt - Alassane Plea (groin injury); Raffael (foot injury); Tobias Strobl (hamstring injury)
Bayer Leverkusen: Aleksandar Dragovic (suspended); In doubt - Karim Bellarabi (thigh injury); Lars Bender (foot injury)
Schalke: Guido Burgstaller (knee injury); Amine Harit (knee injury); Jonjoe Kenny (suspended); Omar Mascarell (groin injury); Matija Nastasic (muscular problems); Sane (knee); Suat Serdar (knee injury); Jean-Clair Todibo (ankle injury); In doubt - Benjamin Stambouli (match fitness)
Wolfsburg: Admir Mehmedi (Achilles tendon injury); Otavio (ankle injury); Marcel Tisserand (knock); William (knee injury); In doubt - Ignacio Camacho (ankle injury)
Matchday 34 listings
Below are the final nine matches of the 2019/2020 season:
Saturday, June 27th:
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Augsburg vs RB Leipzig
USA: FuboTV, FOX Soccer Match Pass, Fox Soccer Plus, TUDN USA, TUDN en Vivo
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet One
France: Free, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, beIN Sports MAX 8
Germany: Sky Go, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 4
UK: BT Sport Extra, BT Sport App, BTSport.com
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Bayer Leverkusen vs Mainz 05
USA: FOX Soccer Match Pass
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World Now
France: Free, beIN Sports MAX 7, beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 7, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go
UK: BTSport.com, BT Sport App, BT Sport 3
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Borussia Dortmund vs Hoffenheim
USA: FuboTV, Sling TV, Foxsports.com, UniMás, Fox Sports 2, FOX Soccer Match Pass, Univision NOW
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World
France: Free, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, beIN Sports MAX 5
Germany: Sky Go, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 3
UK: BT Sport Extra, BT Sport App, BTSport.com
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Borussia M'gladbach vs Hertha BSC
USA: FOX Soccer Match Pass
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
France: beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Free, beIN Sports MAX 6
Germany: Sky Go, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 5
UK: BTSport.com, BT Sport 2, BT Sport App
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Eintracht Frankfurt vs Paderborn
USA: FOX Soccer Match Pass
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
France: beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Germany: Sky Go, Sky Sport Bundesliga 8, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1
UK: BT Sport Extra, BTSport.com, BT Sport App
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Freiburg vs Schalke 04
USA: FuboTV, TUDN en Vivo, FOX Soccer Match Pass
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
France: beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 6, Sky Go
UK: BT Sport Extra, BTSport.com, BT Sport App
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Union Berlin vs Fortuna Düsseldorf
USA: FOX Soccer Match Pass
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
France: beIN SPORTS CONNECT
Germany: Sky Go, Sky Sport Bundesliga 10, Sky Sport Bundesliga 1
UK: BTSport.com, BT Sport App, BT Sport Extra
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Werder Bremen vs Köln
USA: FOX Soccer Match Pass
Australia: beIN Sports Connect, Kayo Sports
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
France: beIN Sports MAX 9, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Free
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 9, Sky Go
UK: BTSport.com, BT Sport Extra, BT Sport App
06:30 PST/09:30 EST/13:30 GMT/15:30 CET - Wolfsburg vs Bayern München
USA: FuboTV, Sling TV, Foxsports.com, FOX Soccer Match Pass, Fox Sports 1, FOX Deportes
Australia: Kayo Sports, beIN Sports Connect, beIN SPORTS 3
Canada: Sportsnet East, Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific
France: beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Free, beIN Sports 3
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 2, Sky Go
UK: BT Sport ESPN, BT Sport App, BTSport.com
If you do not live in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany or the UK, or live in a CET/GMT/EST/PST timezone, please check the schedule below for geo-targeted kick-off times and live broadcast listings for each of the Bundesliga matchday 34 fixtures:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
This match was not broadcast in United States
International Coverage:
Austria: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 8
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go Deutschland, Sky Sport Bundesliga 8
Ireland: TNT Sports 5, discovery+, discovery+ App
Switzerland: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 8
United Kingdom:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
This match was not broadcast in United States
International Coverage:
Austria: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 10
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go Deutschland, Sky Sport Bundesliga 10
Ireland: TNT Sports 5, discovery+, discovery+ App
Switzerland: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 10
United Kingdom:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
This match was not broadcast in United States
International Coverage:
Austria: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 9
Canada: Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now
Germany: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Go Deutschland, Sky Sport Bundesliga 9
Ireland: TNT Sports 5, discovery+, discovery+ App
Switzerland: Sky Sport Bundesliga 1, Sky Sport Bundesliga 9
United Kingdom:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
