Bundesliga – Week 28: 3 Storylines to watch for: Hunt for European football, relegation battle & more | OneFootball

Bayern Munich can take another step towards the Bundesliga title on Friday night when they make the short trip to Bavarian neighbours Augsburg. The Rekordmeister haven’t had much luck at the WWK in recent seasons, winning just one of their last three league games at FCA.

With plenty still to play for across the Bundesliga, Get German Football News looks at three storylines to watch for.

Augsburg’s unexpected unbeaten run and European push

Augsburg may host Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich on Friday night to open matchday 28 in the Bundesliga but with defensive injuries to Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano and Hiroki Ito, Jess Thorup’s side will certainly fancy their chances against a depleted Bayern. Unbeaten in their last 11 Bundesliga games with six wins and five draws, Augsburg find themselves competing for a place in Europe next season with the Fuggerstädter sitting just three points behind sixth placed RB Leipzig. Finn Dahmen – who is eligible to represent England – has been key to their success, going 683 minutes without conceding a goal prior to Andrej Kramarić ending the 27-year-old’s extraordinary run – the sixth-longest run in Bundesliga history.

Can Heidenheim avoid mount pressure on St. Pauli?

Heidenheim enjoyed a monstrous maiden season in the Bundesliga last season, qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League, but their performances this season have thus far been unable to replicate last, which finds the small-city club occupying the relegation play-off.

Their 1-0 win against Wolfsburg last weekend courtesy of Marvin Pieringer’s seventh Bundesliga goal of the season lifted Frank Schmidt’s side into the relegation play-off, above Bochum who suffered a 3-1 defeat against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen. A win for Heidenheim against Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen at home on Saturday afternoon would put the club level points with St. Pauli, who host Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday.

All eyes on the battle for European football

Augsburg have entered the foray for European football, but they have a lot of competition. Zsolt Lőw replaced Marco Rose at RB Leipzig following their 1-0 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend and after losing the DFB Pokal Semi-final to Stuttgart in midweek, it’s imperative that they beat Hoffenheim on Saturday with the club currently three points adrift of Mainz, who occupy fourth and the final Champions League spot.

A win for Mainz against bottom club Holstein Kiel would momentarily move Bo Henriksen’s side into third, where they could end the matchday, depending on Eintracht Frankfurt’s result at Werder Bremen, where they will be without Kevin Trapp. But also in the mix is Freiburg who sit seventh but are also just three points behind Mainz. They host Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga Konferenz, but it also feels like a must-win game for Niko Kovac’s side who could yet be without topscorer Serhou Guirassy, who trained individually on Wednesday.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder