Crunch time: The relegation six-pointers to watch out for on Bundesliga Matchday 26
With just one point separating five teams at the bottom of the Bundesliga table, Matchday 26 will see some of those sides go head-to-head and give them opportunity to pull away from the danger zone, or see their relegation worries deepen.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (12th, 25 pts) vs. St. Pauli (16th, 24 pts) - kick-off: Friday, 8.30pm CET
The action kicks off with Gladbach hosting St. Pauli, with the Foals sitting four places, but just one point, above the Kiezkicker in the table. The hosts gained an impressive point at home to UEFA Champions League hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen at the start of February, before falling to consecutive defeats to Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg. They managed to bounce back with a win against Union Berlin, but any hopes of building on that result were dashed by a 4-1 defeat at league leaders Bayern Munich.
They’ll now welcome Alexander Blessin’s side to Borussia-Park with hopes of pushing themselves away from danger, and Pauli closer to the mire. Eugen Polanski’s men haven’t exactly impressed on their own turf this season, however, winning just three of 13 games, putting them 16th in the home table.
It’ll come as some comfort, then, that the visitors aren’t much better on the road. Pauli sit 17th in the away table after winning just two of 13 games. They’ve only scored 10 goals in that time too, which will be music to the ears of a Gladbach side that have the league’s joint-fifth worst defensive record.
While their away numbers don’t look too appealing on paper, Pauli’s recent form does. They secured a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Werder Bremen on Matchday 23, and followed that up with a shock away win over third-placed Hoffenheim. Matchday 25 saw them take a point from Frankfurt, making it seven points from nine in a period of difficult fixtures that could have easily seen them plunge deeper into the drop zone.
While Blessin’s side continue to struggle in front of goal, they do have the best defensive record in the bottom seven and have shown multiple times how hard they can be to beat, whether home or away.
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Watch: Pauli stun Hoffenheim
Hamburg (10th, 29 pts) vs. Cologne (14th, 24 pts) - kick-off: Saturday, 6.30pm CET
The two promoted sides will meet once again on Saturday evening, with the hosts in a much healthier position going into the final stretch of the season.
After a bright start to 2025/26, the Billy Goats have stumbled, and they continue to struggle for consistency. They now sit four places and five points behind their opponents, who appear to be going from strength to strength, with 13 points from a possible 30 - including one against Bayern - since the turn of the year.
Cologne have won just two of their last 10 games, and none of their last five. In fact, in their last five matches, Lukas Kwasniok’s men have picked up just a single point and are now in real danger of slipping into the relegation places, as they sit level on points with Pauli in the play-off spot.
Even more concerning is the fact that the Billy Goats’ have won just twice this season on their travels, picking nine points from 12 games. HSV, on the other hand, have impressed at home, losing just four of 13 matches.
The two sides have already met this season, with Cologne recording a resounding 4-1 win over the Red Shorts on Matchday 9. They’ll need to summon some of that early-season magic if they’re to pull away from danger this weekend.
Werder Bremen (13th, 25 pts) vs. Mainz (15th, 24 pts) - kick-off: Sunday, 3.30pm CET
Successive victories over Heidenheim and Union Berlin have enabled Daniel Thioune’s Bremen to pull out of the bottom three and into 13th, but there’s still plenty of work to be done if they’re to stay out of trouble.
Watch: Bremen won in Berlin last weekend
Those two results ended a run of 13 games without a win, meaning the Green-Whites are picking up form just in time for a tense end of season sprint to the finish. Their next challenge will see them host Mainz, who sit one point behind them and are also looking to continue their climb up the table after a difficult start to the campaign.
Werder’s home form has seen them win four, draw four and lose four at the Weserstadion, making up 16 of their 25 points gained so far. While far from impressive, it’s enough to give them confidence ahead of the vist of the 05ers, who have won just twice in 12 away trips in 2025/26.
While Mainz currently sit below Bremen in the standings, the table tells a different story since the arrival of Urs Fischer as head coach. The former Union boss has overseen 12 Bundesliga games since taking the reins at the start of December, losing just twice in that time and putting his side sixth in the table since his appointment.
Having already taken points off Bayern, VfB Stuttgart, RB Leipzig and Leverkusen, Fischer’s men have proven they're capable of handling the pressure. They’ve lost just three of their last 10 matches and arrive in Bremen on a three-game unbeaten run.
>>> Follow Bremen vs. Mainz LIVE!
Such is the congested nature of the lower portion of the table, Mainz could climb as high as 12th with a win, or drop back into the relegation play-off berth. However, they - like Bremen, Cologne, Hamburg, Pauli and Gladbach - cannot slip into the automatic drop zone currently occupied by Heidenheim and Wolfsburg - at least not this weekend.
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