Wolfsburg face uphill battle against Bayern

BERLIN:

Already fighting to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg on Saturday host a Bayern Munich side still smarting from their Champions League elimination by holders Paris Saint Germain.

The Wolves, who have remained in the top division since promotion in 1997, sit in 16th place, the relegation play-off spot.

Wolfsburg need to beat the Bundesliga champions to keep alive their slim hopes of breaching a six-point gap to safety and getting out of the bottom three.

But with second-last St Pauli breathing down their necks, even a draw could help.

Pauli, in the automatic relegation spots, are level with Wolfsburg on points but behind on goal difference.

After facing Bayern on Saturday, Wolfsburg travel to Pauli in the final game of the season.

Finishing the season in 16th would mean a two-legged relegation play-off against the third-best team in the second division.

As it stands, that team is Hannover, Wolfsburg's Lower Saxony neighbours who boast a far greater support in the region and regularly sell out their 49,000-seat stadium.

While top-flight clubs have a history of beating their second-division opponents in the play-off, Wolfsburg have won just one of their past 15 matches.

It is a dramatic slide for the Wolves, who won the Bundesliga in 2009 and then the German Cup six years later, with Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings.

Owned by German automotive giant Volkswagen, Wolfsburg's limitations are not financial. Wolfsburg reportedly have the fifth-highest wage bill in the league.

Off-field instability has undermined the club's on-field ambitions this season.

Appointed in March, manager Dieter Hecking is already the third coach of the campaign, while sporting directors Sebastian Schindzielorz and Peter Christiansen have also been shown the door.

To make matters worse, Wolfsburg also have a terrible record against Bayern. They have not beaten Bayern since 2015, a run of 23 games, and lost 8-1 in Munich earlier in the season.

One to watch: Albert Riera

Eintracht Frankfurt coach Albert Riera took over just three months ago but Friday's match at Borussia Dortmund may be his last chance to save his job.

The eccentric Spaniard had a solid start in Frankfurt, fixing the team's leaky defence, but they have won just once in their past six games as Eintracht's European hopes have slipped.

Last week, Riera accused the media of twisting facts with "toxic" reporting of a story about a conflict between the coach and Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt.

On Thursday, the former Liverpool and Manchester City player said he was "not worried at all about my future: that's not important.

"The only thing that counts is picking up points in the next two matches.
"(I know) exactly how things work in this profession. I tell myself: 'Albert, if you don't win enough someone else will'. That's how it is."