It was a mixed week for Bundesliga sides in Europe in midweek, but matchday 20 started with 1.FC Köln beating Wolfsburg 1-0.
Saturday afternoon, in the saw Eintracht Frankfurt face Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen host Borussia Mönchengladbach, Augsburg vs St.Pauli, Union Berlin travelled to Hoffenheim, and RB Leipzig were against Mainz.
Here are the three things we learnt:
Albert Riera has a lot of work to do at Eintracht Frankfurt:
For the sixth game in 2026 (they have played seven), Frankfurt have conceded three goals in a game. This takes their record to 20 goals in seven games. You don’t need me to tell you how bad that is.
Leverkusen took a 2-0 lead in this game in the first half thanks to goals from Arthur and Malik Tillman (who was one of die Werkself’s standout players in midweek too as he has finally found his feet back in Germany), and despite Robin Koch bringing Frankfurt back into the game in the second half, a red card from Ellyes Skhiri didn’t help and a late Aleix Garcia goal made it 3-1.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side were not as dominant as the scoreline suggests (via FotMob), and it was again a testament to the horrible defending that Frankfurt are doing.
With Albert Riera taking charge on Monday, the Spaniard will have a lot of work to do when it comes to making this team a competent defensive team.
Frankfurt are now eighth in the Bundesliga and eight points off the European places.
Horst Steffen’s lifeline:
Reports leading up to this weekend had suggested that Werder Bremen’s game against Borussia Mönchengladbach could be head coach Horst Steffen’s last chance to save his job, with the club slipping towards the Bundesliga relegation zone once again, and it looked to be the case when, in the live table, they were 16th.
Against Gladbach, Bremen were comfortably the better side, but struggled in front of goal, and when Haris Tabakovic made it 1-0, it looked to be one of those days. However, a late equaliser from Keke Topp not only rescued a point but also saw Bremen move up to 14th in the Bundesliga table, and potentially gave Steffen a stay of execution.
Considering Bremen fans do not see Steffen as the sole problem, die Grün-Wießen may just be repeating their Hinrunde once again.
It may also help if they play with a recognised striker up front.
The shakeup in the Bundesliga relegation battle:
Bremen weren’t the only Bundesliga side battling relegation to come away with the three points today. Augsburg gave themselves a nice cushion to the bottom three with a 2-1 win against fellow strugglers St.Pauli, with Michael Gregoritsch scoring his first goal since his return to the club.
While the biggest talking point was Mainz’s 2-1 win against RB Leipzig. Despite Ole Werner’s side taking an early lead, the 05ers were able to rally, and a late first-half penalty from Nadiem Amiri meant it was level at the break. The other side of half-time, winter signing Silas scored his first goal for the club too to give Mainz the lead (both of these goals were scored in the 49th minute).
The win for Urs Fischer’s side means that for the first time since Bundesliga matchday five, they were out of the bottom three, and have now only lost once since the Swiss replaced Bo Henriksen.
The results this afternoon put pressure on Hamburg, who have now dropped into the relegation zone ahead of their game against Bayern Munich.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga:
- Hoffenheim went level on points with second-place Borussia Dortmund following a 3-1 win against Union Berlin. Niko Kovac’s side is ahead of TSG on goal difference (one goal).
GGFN | Jack Meenan
