The Bundesliga relegation playoffs come to a wrap on Monday. Hertha Berlin and Schalke have already gone down but there is still one more slot left in the 2. Bundesliga for the 2023/24 campaign, which will go to one of Hamburger or Stuttgart. The latter are well placed to remain in the German top flight but this should be an intriguing encounter nonetheless.
2018 was the day Hamburger dropped down from the Bundesliga. Die Rothosen had never been relegated from the German top flight prior to that occasion, and as a result, their drop five years ago remains vividly in their memory of each fan.
Since then, HSV have made it to the relegation playoffs once prior to this season. Their first three campaigns in the 2. Bundesliga ended in fourth-placed finishes but last season, Hamburger finished third and thus qualified for the playoffs, facing Hertha BSC in this two-legged affair.
Unfortunately for the six-time Bundesliga champions, they came up short, suffering a 2-0 defeat in the second leg to lose 2-1 on aggregate. Hamburger are back at this same stage a year later; however, Robert Glatzel and Co. could be in for another heartbreak after narrowly missing out on automatic promotion.
Tim Walter's side nearly finished in the top two, which secures automatic qualification, but two stoppage-time goals from rivals Heidenheim helped them win 3-2 on the final day to pip Die Rothosen in the standings. And if that result wasn't crushing enough, HSV then went on to lose 3-0 in the first-leg of their relegation playoffs, hence why the opposition are the favorites to book their spot in the Bundesliga for the upcoming season.
Can Hamburger pull off a miraculous comeback and seal their return to the German top flight? Stuttgart will give it their all to see off the challengers, and given the score line, the visitors should enter the second leg full of confidence.
Die Schwaben wasted no time in making their home advantage count during their first-leg showdown, with Mavropanos giving the Bundesliga side the lead inside the first minute. Had the score line remained this way, things would have been different, but two goals in the span of four minutes, from Josha Vagnoman and Serhou Guirassy respectively, handed Sebastian Hoeneß's men a massive advantage.
Furthermore, Stuttgart could have won by more, having left the first leg with a sense of disappointment after missing a number of opportunities. This is a testament to the improvements the club has undergone since the arrival of Hoeneß back in April. Under his helm, the German top-flight side have lost only twice in 11 outings and are on the brink of stretching this nine-game unbeaten record to 10.
However, this wasn't enough to get the club out of the relegation zone. Serhou Guirassy and Co. finished the top-flight campaign with only 33 points. That was just three points shy of 12th-placed Hoffenheim but it was enough to secure them an unwanted spot in the relegation playoffs.
Team news
Hamburger: Noah Katterbach, Laszlo Benes, Omar Megeed, and Andras Nemeth are all out for this tie due to injuries. Meanwhile, Suhonen, who was sent off for the first leg, is suspended for this game. As a result, the hosts are unlikely to make much changes to the squad that was picked apart in the 3-0 loss.
Stuttgart: Fabian Bredlow and Thomas Kastanaras remain sidelined due to long-term injuries. However, Hoeneß has no other major concerns and is likely to name an identical lineup to the one that thrashed Hamburger 3-0.
Key stats
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Hamburger enter this tie having won three out of their last five games.
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Stuttgart, on the other hand, have triumphed twice and lost twice in their last five outings.
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Hoeneß's men boast the joint-third best defense in the Bundesliga among the bottom-half teams.
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Meanwhile, Die Rothosen boast the best attack in the 2. Bundesliga in 2022/23, which should make things interesting.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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