CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FEATURE | What does each Bundesliga side need to qualify for the knockouts? | OneFootball

With just two Champions League matchdays remaining, the race is heating up for teams trying to book their place in the knockout phase of the competition. Where the Bundesliga teams are concerned, there are sides who could secure their place this week, whilst others are going to possibly need six points, a bit of fortune elsewhere, and then win another play-off round. 

As a reminder, from the 36-team league phase, the top 8 qualify automatically for the knockout stage, whilst those who finish between 9th and 24th will be drawn against each other in a play-off round in order to get through to the next stage. 

Here is what each Bundesliga team needs in order to qualify for the next round of this season’s Champions League. 

Bayern Munich

Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich are doing the best out of any Bundesliga side, currently occupying second position on 15 points.

Up against Belgian side Union SG at home on Wednesday, Vincent Kompany’s side could qualify for the knockouts with a game to spare. This would depend on results elsewhere; however, even if they remain just three points inside the top 8 with a game to spare, their superior goal difference should be enough regardless of the result on the final matchday. 

It’ll be a strange and rather unique atmosphere at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. 

UEFA has fined Bayern Munich €50k and ordered that the famous Südkurve be partially banned for their next Champions League match. The order comes after the repeated use of pyrotechnics within the stand, which is not permitted in UEFA competitions for safety reasons.

The decision to specifically ban blocks 111 to 114 within the stand presents a logistical nightmare for the club. As the lower tier of the Südkurve doesn’t use block-by-block ticketing, all tickets are either valid or not. The ban on blocks 111-114 now affects all 9,336 tickets for the lower tier of the stand. With this in mind, the club has decided to cancel all tickets for the Südkurve and will refund the ticket price to the respective buyers. 

Borussia Dortmund

BVB face a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening and face a side in crisis when it comes to the Premier League – a factor which Niko Kovac’s side will be hoping to take advantage of. 

Dortmund are currently in 10th place and just one point outside the automatic qualification places for the Champions League round of 16. To make the tie even more exciting, Spurs are themselves in the same predicament in 11th spot. 

A win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would put Dortmund in a great position in order to finish inside the top 8, but wouldn’t guarantee it. Their last game in the league phase is a tricky home tie against Inter, who could qualify for the next stage of the Champions League with a win this week. Should Dortmund do the business in London, they will be hosting a solid side on the final day, but one that has already qualified and is not actually playing for anything. 

While Niko Kovac will be without Marcel Sabitzer, there is some good news in that Ramy Bensebaini – recently on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Algeria – and Aaron Anselmino – who was also absent from their Bundesliga win over St. Pauli – have both travelled after returning to training. Julien Duranville has also travelled despite the player’s pending move to Basel. Other than Sabitzer’s absence, Kovac has a full-strength squad available, and he’ll have to call upon his best players, as realistically, BVB need two wins from their final two fixtures to secure a place in the top eight; otherwise, they will enter the play-off round of the Champions League.

Bayer Leverkusen

Currently 6th in the Bundesliga and having fallen on tough times domestically, B04’s Champions League endeavours could prove to be exactly what they need right now. 

Kasper Hjulmand’s side travels to Greece to face Olympiacos on Tuesday night. Currently in 20th place on 9 points, the high likelihood is that Die Werkself will have to settle for the play-off spot. Even with two wins from their final two games, it won’t be enough to finish inside the top 8. 

Olympiacos can be a tricky stadium to visit at the best of times. For the Greek champions, Tuesday’s game is most likely the last roll of the dice if they’re to get a play-off spot. On 5 points with just one win, they’ll need to beat Leverkusen to give themselves a glimmer of hope. 

With a win for Leverkusen, they could secure a Champions League play-off position this week, or possibly just need a point on the final matchday against Villarreal. 

Eintracht Frankfurt

Frankfurt have been in freefall in the Bundesliga and have just sacked head coach Dino Toppmöller. Currently in 30th place in the Champions League league phase, the Eagles are going to need two wins from the last two matchdays. Even then, it may not be enough – they’ll be looking at results elsewhere in order to secure a play-off spot.

Frankfurt have travelled to Azerbaijan to play Qarabag on Wednesday night. Whilst Frankfurt will be the favourites for the tie, it can always be a tricky away day, given the distance the team has to travel. 

A win in Qarabag would put Frankfurt on 7 points, and just possibly inside the Champions League play-off spot – if not, then they would be very close. On the last matchday, the Eagles host Spurs in Germany’s banking capital. By then, they could have a new head coach – Bild reports that Eintracht Frankfurt target Marco Rose is open to taking charge of the club following the sacking of Dino Toppmöller on Sunday. The former RB Leipzig head coach is Markus Krösche’s desired replacement for Toppmöller as they look to head in a different direction following the sacking. Rose is open to taking charge of Frankfurt, having been out of work since being sacked as Leipzig head coach last March.

GGFN | Jamie Allen