Overview
The final round of the Bundesliga usually does not have too much meaning, but this season is different when the race in both the top and bottom group is still very tense.
With Bayer Leverkusen, the final match of the season could decide the whole future of the team. Die Werkself has been in the Champions League for three of the last four seasons, but hopes of continuing that streak are gradually becoming slim.
Leverkusen is currently ranked sixth in the standings, 3 points behind Hoffenheim and Stuttgart. This means that if they do not win in the final round, they will definitely have to accept a ticket to the Europa League next season.
Even if they win all 3 points, Leverkusen still needs to wait for their opponents to stumble in the confrontations with Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt to nurture hopes of entering the top 4.
The current difficult situation largely stems from the 1-3 defeat to Stuttgart in the previous round - a match that could cost Leverkusen a Champions League spot.
Not only facing pressure on achievements, the team is also falling into a period of instability as the future of coach Kasper Hjulmand is becoming increasingly bleak. The Danish strategist, who was appointed to replace Erik ten Hag at the beginning of the season, is said to leave the coaching chair after the season ends.
Assistant Rogier Meijer is also in the sights of Sparta Rotterdam, further unstable the atmosphere at BayArena before the decisive round.
In other words, Leverkusen is entering the final match of the season in a state of high pressure, and team fans at this time have almost no reason to be optimistic.
In the opposite direction, Hamburger has completed their most important goal: successfully staying in the Bundesliga. Two consecutive victories against Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg help them officially stay in the highest league in Germany, while creating conditions for the club to soon start planning for the next season.
Coach Merlin Polzin and the coaching staff even took advantage of going to Barcelona for a short break to celebrate this achievement. Their trip became even more special when it coincidentally coincided with the time Barcelona held a parade to celebrate the La Liga championship right near the team's hotel.
Interestingly, Polzin is no stranger to Hansi Flick. Before taking over the hot seat at the Volksparkstadion, the young Hamburg strategist had a training internship at Barcelona.
Although nearly 30 years younger than Flick, Polzin is quickly building a name in German football after helping Hamburger get promoted and then continue to stay in the Bundesliga in his first season of return.
However, this young coach does not want his players to be satisfied too soon. He affirmed that Hamburg is still aiming for a perfect ending to the season with positive results in the final round.
However, that task will not be easy when Hamburger has a very poor head-to-head record against Leverkusen. In the last eight encounters, Hamburg has only won one match and scored only 3 goals.
Personnel situation
Regarding the force, Bayer Leverkusen will not have the service of French striker Martin Terrier because he is still in the process of recovering from a hamstring injury.
On Hamburger's side, the team has just received not very positive information when young talent Alexander Rossing-Lelesiit encountered obstacles in the process of recovering from ankle ligament injury.
Expected lineup:
Bayer Leverkusen: Flekken, Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba, Culbreath, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo, Maza, Poku, Schick.
Hamburger: Heuer Fernandes, Capaldo, Vuskovic, Omari, Jatta, Remberg, Sambi Lokonga, Gronbaek, Vieira, Konigsdorffer, Stange.
The match between Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburger takes place at 8:30 p.m. on May 16 (Vietnam time).
