The relegation six-pointers to watch out for on Bundesliga Matchday 26
Just five points separate five teams at the bottom of the Bundesliga table, but Matchday 26 will see some of those sides go head-to-head in the battle for top-flight survival.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 St. Pauli
The action began in earnest on Friday evening as Borussia Mönchengladbach hosted St. Pauli. The Foals were only a single point better off than their guests at kick-off but a sensational Kevin Stöger free-kick in the first half paved the way for Gladbach to claim a vital victory, with substitute Franck Honorat adding a second after the break.
View the latest standings here
Watch: Highlights of Gladbach's 2-0 win over Pauli
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 Munich - 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 up 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: Who'll stay up, who'll go down?
Those two results ended a run of 13 games without a win, meaning Werder 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 visit 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 Bayer 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.
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Such is the congested nature of the lower portion of the table, Mainz could climb as high as 13th 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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