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Bundesliga 2: A congested promotion race and goals by the bucket load

Bundesliga 2 is up to its old tricks again in 2024/25, with at least half of the division in contention for promotion with just seven matches of the season remaining - we bring you all the latest in what is surely Europe's most intriguing and competitive league.

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To understand what has made the 2024/25 Bundesliga 2 season as gripping as could possibly be imagined, let’s first have a look at the table. Former Bundesliga giants Cologne and Hamburg lead the way, seemingly so close to sealing a return to the promised land of the top flight - yet also so far, with a slender advantage heading into the final furlongs of the season in April and May.

Cologne are currently top of the pile on 50 points, with Hamburg just a single point behind - and a third set of former Bundesliga champions, Kaiserslautern, three points shy of Hamburg in third heading into the final seven matchdays of the season.

The chasing pack behind Lautern (currently in the promotion play-off position) are staggeringly tightly packed - with fourth-placed Paderborn just four points ahead of Fortuna Düsseldorf in ninth, and Magdeburg, Hannover, Elversberg and Nürnberg all part of the giant promotion-contending sandwich in between.

To add some perspective on how delicate the situation is in Bundesliga 2, there are nine points separating the top nine compared to 27 between the same league positions in the Bundesliga.

On the topic of fine margins, less than 30 percent (69 out of 243) of this season's Bundesliga 2 results have been draws, highlighting just how fiercely competitive this division is.

These hard-fought battles for points have still seen plenty of goals though, with a massive 731 scored up until this point. Fans of yet another former Bundesliga giant, Schalke, have certainly had no lack of entertainment this season - their side may have been down in 11th at the start of April, but their matches have averaged a league-high 3.53 goals this season, with a thrilling 3-3 draw at Greuther Fürth on Matchday 27 true to form.

Matchday 26 saw Paderborn win 5-3 at home to Kaiserslautern and Hertha Berlin (yes, one more set of former Bundesliga big boys) race to a 5-1 victory at Eintracht Braunschweig.

Those kind of thrill-a-minute results have been recurring all season. Matchday 19 saw four or more goals scored in six out of nine games, including six goals in Lautern's 4-2 win over Greuther Fürth and Ulm's 5-1 win over Jahn Regensburg. Seven goals were scored in Magdeburg's 5-2 defeat of Fortuna Düsseldorf on Matchday 17, a result which threw further chaos into the top 10 mix, before Magdeburg went and recorded the exact same scoreline the following week in their win over Elversberg - of course, both of these games were away from home for Magdeburg - who remained in the promotion mix despite not winning at home until February!

If those results don’t grab your attention, then let’s take a look at Matchday 10, which witnessed 11 goals scored in the game between Nuremberg and Regensburg. With the game tied at 3-3, it looked like struggling Regensburg would possibly secure some much-needed points in a thrilling encounter, only for the hosts to score five goals in the last half-hour of the game. Naturally, the contest went into the history books, taking its place as the joint second-highest scoring game ever in Germany’s second tier.

Kaiserslautern won 4-3 away to Düsseldorf on the same day. At that point, Düsseldorf had lost just once after nine games and were sat at the top of the table, eight points ahead of the 11th-placed Red Devils - they have now largely switched places, although both remain in the promotion hunt.

As well as Kaiserslautern have done up to now, their position is far from comfortable. More than half of the sides in Bundesliga 2 have found themselves in the top three at some point this season, creating an enthralling race for promotion. Cologne - relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of 2023/24 - are one of the teams aiming to return to the big time and have moved into a promising position.

Although the Billy Goats have lost seven matches so far this season, they clocked up three narrow wins in a row by the end of March to move ahead of Hamburg to the summit - the fourth time this campaign they have landed a hat-trick of three consecutive victories under Gerhard Struber. Hamburg remain the division's highest scorers, however, with 58 strikes from their first 27 matches - and have the lead's top goalscorer in their ranks with Davie Selke boasting 17 strikes.

Goals being scored is one thing, but how they’re scored is a completely different story. The Matchday 8 meeting between Magdeburg and Greuther Fürth saw two of the most comical penalties you’re likely to see awarded. Magdeburg took the lead after Fürth’s Gideon Jung picked up a pass from his goalkeeper, not realising play had been restarted; he thought his blushes had been spared when Mo El Hankouri‘s effort was saved, only for him to tap it home when the rebound was crossed back in.

At the other end, Daniel Heber made a similar mistake not long before half-time. Eager to protest what he thought would be called as a foul when Roberto Massimo was tackled just outside the area, Heber picked up the ball and headed toward referee Bastian Dankert – before a whistle had been blown. A penalty was award to Fürth, which was slotted home by Julian Green, before Fürth went on to equalise through Noel Futkeu in the second half.

With seven decisive matchdays remaining in the 2024/25 campaign, the promotion race remains way too tight to call. One thing is for certain though - you can strap yourself in and prepare for more incredible twists and goals aplenty over the dramatic weeks of destiny ahead in Bundesliga 2 this spring.

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