The season is coming to an end in the second highest German football league as well and there are only three more match days left to play.
In the first round until winter I still had the impression that some teams were really serious about the promotion to the 1st Bundesliga, especially the two teams which were relegated down last season, the 1.FC Köln and the HSV, seemed to be eager to tackle the immediate relegation.
In particular the HSV, which had to play for the very first time in its own club history in the second league, had been quite snooty and always been claiming that the forced appearance in league 2 was only a minor accident, which they wanted to quickly solve after only one season.
And also the third team in the alliance, the 1.FC Union Berlin, was able to enjoy the best defence of the league until the winter break and pass the first round almost unbeaten.
But in the second half of the season, the favourites seem to be struggling in a surprising manner.
Even if FC Köln are still clearly leading the league and have a safe 5 point lead to place 2, they have shown nerves too during the last 4 games.
Beginning with two draws and then facing two defeats against Dresden and then at home against Darmstadt. Assumed they stay at the top until the end, that's how they want to stand their ground in league 1 next year? There are probably not the only ones who have huge concerns about that!
And then the HSV! Long ranked number, after the last weekend they were handed down to position 4 and slipped out of the ranks which would allowed them to be promoted.
5 games without victory and in addition the biting defeat at Union Berlin, there direct competitor, have robbed Hamburger of their good starting position and now they will have to work very hard in the remaining games, if they really want to reach the big goal of this season.
Gambled high yet everything lost?
The team from Northern Germany might need to prepare for another year in the second league. And only a few people would have bet on that half a year ago.
Union Berlin seems to have stopped their negative series after their last home win against HSV and they are now in third place, which would entitle them to participate in the relegation games against the third last from Bundesliga 1.
Somehow they didn't seem to get into shape in the second half of the season, but because of the slip-ups of their rivals they could keep their position and never lose touch to the top.
However, whether the Berliners will make it to a place which would entitle them to a direct promotion at the end of the season, seems very questionable, too unstable were their performances in the last games. And even if they would -for the first time in their own history- get into the relegation, they would probably have to meet VfB Stuttgart. And in recent years, the representatives of the Bundesliga have always prevailed in the relegation games, having more experience seems to have played a major role here. But Berlin should still be allowed to dream a little more.
The team of the hour in the 2nd league is now SC Paderborn, who are already sitting on the second position.
5 match days ago they could win a very crucial game away at Union Berlin, and since then they are having some pretty good streak claiming three more wins and a draw.
And now Paderborn seems to have the best cards to move back into the 1st Bundesliga themselves, since in their following home game against the HSV, they can even shake off a direct competitor for good, something that only a few months ago the fewest people would have thought possible.
Whatever the top of the table may look like at the end of May, each of the possible promoted teams will have it very difficult next year in the 1st Bundesliga to survive and establish themselves. But everyone involved will be eager to face this adventure, even if all teams have presented themselves in very different ways in the last few weeks.
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