7 Bundesliga clubs still fear relegation

Posted Thursday, May 05, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)—While Borussia Dortmund celebrates the title, seven Bundesliga teams are still fighting against relegation with two rounds remaining.

Dortmund sealed the title last week and the league’s youngest team travels to Werder Bremen, which is still not safe.

Bayern Munich is also on the road, hoping to hold on to third place when it visits St. Pauli, which needs to win to have any chance of escaping the drop.

Bayern still has a mathematical chance of finishing second if it wins its two remaining games and Bayer Leverkusen loses both.

Leverkusen hosts Hamburger SV, which has nothing to play for and already is looking at rebuilding for the next season.

The match will the final home game for Leverkusen’s coach Jupp Heynckes, who will take charge of Bayern next season.

“It’s really difficult for me to part company with this team,” Heynckes said. “I’ve rarely had such two pleasant years as here.”

The veteran coach will be eager for a farewell win at home, after his team’s loss at Cologne last week delivered the title to Dortmund.

“We’ve reacted well to defeats this season, that has been one of our strengths,” captain Simon Rolfes said. “We are five points ahead and we’ll secure second place on Saturday.”

Bayern is primarily concerned with protecting its two-point lead over Hannover and making sure it finishes at least third, which would send the team to Champions League qualifying.

Bayern is especially keen to make it into the elite competition because the 2012 Champions League final is in its Munich arena.

St. Pauli is bottom of the standings, three points behind Borussia Moenchengladbach and only a win over Bayern in coach Holger Stanislawski’s last home game could raise its hopes.

Stanislawski, in one of many imminent coaching moves, is leaving for Hoffenheim.

Eintracht Frankfurt, which is two points above Moenchengladbach in the relegation places, hosts Cologne, another relegation candidate. But Cologne is four points ahead and Eintracht is the worst performing team of the second half of the season.

Wolfsburg, in between Cologne and Frankfurt, hosts Kaiserslautern, which is safe.

Bremen and Stuttgart are still in danger mathematically. Bremen will be additionally motivated to put some gloss on a disappointing season by beating the new champion.

“We could make some things right and wouldn’t have to worry on the final day of the season if we win on Saturday,” Bremen’s striker Sandro Wagner said.

Stuttgart also has a tough game at home against Hannover, which again could move past Bayern into third.

Schalke, coming off a 6-1 aggregate loss to Manchester United in the two legs of the Champions League semifinals, plays Mainz, which is all but secure in fifth place and looking forward to Europa League next season.

Moenchengladbach hosts Freiburg bolstered by 1-0 wins over Dortmund and Hannover and hasn’t given up hope of escaping relegation.

“The belief is great that we’ll remain in the top flight,” midfielder Marco Reus said.

Nuremberg hosts Hoffenheim in a match without much significance. All games are Saturday.