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On Saturday, the final matches of the Bundesliga football championship will be played, before which it is still unclear who will become the league champions. The last time such a fierce fight for the trophy took place four years ago, when Borussia Dortmund players were declared champions only after the decisive 34th round. This year, Stuttgart and Schalke are fighting for first place.
It should be reminded that in case of equal points, the team with a better goal difference will win the title. If the balance of goals scored and conceded is equal, the club that has scored more goals throughout the season will be declared champions.
Of course, Stuttgart (+23) has better chances to win the title, as they only need to extend their seven-game winning streak and defeat Cottbus, who have successfully debuted in the league this season. On the other hand, Schalke (+20) needs more than just a win at home against Arminia to secure victory.
If Stuttgart plays a draw and Schalke wins by a three-goal margin, the current league leaders will most likely become champions, as they have scored eight goals more than Schalke.
Both mentioned teams will represent Germany in the UEFA Champions League next season, while Werder will most likely have to go through the third qualifying round. The spots in the UEFA Cup have already been allocated: Bayern, Bayer, and Nurnberg will have the opportunity to become cup winners.
Gladbach will leave the Bundesliga and will be replaced by Mainz and Aachen. Both teams still have theoretical hopes of staying, but even if they win and Wolfsburg loses, their goal difference is much worse.
The three poorest performing teams will be replaced by Karlsruher and two others next season. Before the last round, Hansa and Duisburg have the best chances.
The title of the most productive player will probably be won by Bochum's representative Theofanis Gekas, who has successfully scored 20 goals this season. Makaay and Frei share the second place, each scoring 16 times.
Last round matches:
Stuttgart - Cottbus
Wolfsburg - Werder
Hamburg - Aachen
Schalke - Arminia
Hannover - Nürnberg
Bayern - Mainz
Eintracht - Hertha
Gladbach - Bochum
Bayer - Borussia
