Wolfsburg, Heidenheim and St. Pauli face relegation thriller on final matchday
Berlin: For the first time in Bundesliga history, the three teams at the bottom of the table go into the final matchday level on points.
Sitting 16th in the standings, Wolfsburg faces bottom side St. Pauli, while 17th-placed Heidenheim hosts Mainz. All three teams are trying to secure the chance to contest a two-leg playoff against the third-placed side in the second division.
In the tight race, Wolfsburg holds a three-goal advantage over Heidenheim and St. Pauli.
While St. Pauli has faded in recent weeks, once-written-off Heidenheim is moving toward what would be a remarkable escape, reports Xinhua.
Eight rounds ago, Heidenheim had a 10-point gap to 16th place.
As Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt put it, the team’s determined revival has now created “something that couldn’t be more thrilling for the fans.”
“We had been written off, and the upswing might come late, but hopefully not too late,” he added, after his side took 12 points from the past seven games.
The 3-1 win over Cologne last Sunday has fueled optimism for Heidenheim. In that match, defender Jonas Fohrenbach played with a broken nose and wore a mask, while midfielder Niklas Dorsch returned for the closing minutes after suffering a concussion shortly before.
“To give up isn’t part of our DNA,” Heidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald said.
St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin spoke about the advantage of being the chasing side, as it leaves no room for miscommunication. “But you have to take the pressure in a positive way,” he said.