Which Teams Bundesliga Teams Hold the Lead in the UCL and EL Qualification Race?

Bayern Munich holds a five-point lead in the Bundesliga standings with only six games left in the schedule but considering they have their minds set in the UEFA Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain, it wouldn’t be farfetched to believe RB Leipzig can make things even closer down the final weeks of the campaign.

However, the chances of that happening might be quite slim. The real interest of most fans, data experts, and betting fans lies in what might happen with the spots that hand qualification spots to both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The race for European spots in Germany’s top-flight is getting quite tight with only a few matches left in the calendar.

Following the end of Round 28, Wolfsburg remains in third place with 54 points and looks in a good position to make a return to the Champions League even after suffering a defeat last weekend against an Eintracht Frankfurt side that is now in fourth place with 53 points. Frankfurt has been one of the biggest surprises in the league so far and they’ve lost just three games all season long, the lowest mark in the league alongside the league leaders, Bayern.

The absence of teams such as Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Monchengladbach certainly stands out and, if the season ended today, neither of those teams would be playing in next year’s Champions League. Dortmund sits in fifth place with 46 points and might be coming off a 3-2 win over Stuttgart, but they’ve won just two of their last five league matches. Dortmund has been one of the most disappointing teams in the league but has focused their efforts in the Champions League, where they’re currently playing in the quarterfinals and are slated to face Manchester City on Wednesday.

Bayer Leverkusen is in sixth place with 43 points and would be clinching the final UEFA Europa League berth. However, they’re far from safe from securing that berth any time soon. Union Berlin (40 points), Monchengladbach (40 points), Stuttgart (39 points), and even Freiburg (37) are within reach of that spot. Leverkusen has a tough task ahead of themselves if they want to play in Europe next season.

Speaking of complicated paths, no team has a tougher end-of-season schedule than Dortmund. Five of their remaining six games are against teams that have European chances for the next season, and it remains to be seen how Dortmund will balance the schedule, especially if they manage to progress to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The title race might be all but over, but there’s no question the race to qualify for European competitions will be the hottest topic in the Bundesliga during the final weeks of the campaign.