Derby win followed by top games against Leipzig and Stuttgart: Route for UCL qualification

The current position:

After the results on the last matchday, the Werkself can no longer be caught by their rivals from Frankfurt and Freiburg and are therefore guaranteed to finish at least sixth in the Bundesliga and compete in the Europa League. The focus is now exclusively upwards and therefore on TSG Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart. Both clubs currently have a two-point lead, and they face each other on Saturday afternoon.

A draw in this head-to-head clash would see the Werkself leap into fourth place if they beat RB Leipzig at home in the top match on Saturday night. From then on, Bayer 04 would have everything in their own hands. If either Hoffenheim or Stuttgart win like Leverkusen, the Black and Reds would finish fifth behind the winner of this clash. In the end, this could also entitle them to participate in the Champions League (see below).

Remaining fixtures:

Bayer 04:

• RB Leipzig (H)
• VfB Stuttgart (A)
• Hamburger SV (H)

TSG Hoffenheim:

• VfB Stuttgart (H)
• Werder Bremen (H)
• Borussia Mönchengladbach (A)

VfB Stuttgart:

• TSG Hoffenheim (A)
• Bayer 04 (H)
• Eintracht Frankfurt (A)

Four or five Champions League slots for Germany? The scenarios:

Whether four or five Bundesliga clubs will compete in the Champions League next season depends on the performance of the participants in this year's UEFA competitions. The overview is provided by the UEFA rankings, also known as the UEFA coefficient. In the end, only the two best associations in the ranking will receive an additional fifth Champions League starting place in the coming season.

England have an unassailable lead, while Portugal, in fourth place, have little chance of finishing second in the UEFA rankings. This means that Spain and Germany are currently in a tight race for second place.

UEFA ranking (as at 1 May):

1. England // 27.125 points on average // 4 of 9 Premier League clubs still in European competitions
2.  Spain // 21.781 // 2 of 8 La Liga clubs still in European competitions
3. Germany // 21.214 // 2 of 7 Bundesliga clubs still in European competitions
4. Portugal // 20,500 // 1 of 5 Liga Portugal clubs still in European competitions

The points average of the UEFA participants from the respective association is ultimately decisive for the ranking. As the Bundesliga had one less starter than Spain's La Liga this season, positive results for the remaining German participants (Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg) carry more weight than those of the remaining Spanish representatives Atlético Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. To summarise, the two German clubs must be more successful in the knockout matches (semi-finals and final) than their Spanish rivals.

Atlético Madrid face Arsenal in the Champions League, while Rayo Vallecano take on Racing Strasbourg in the Conference League. Bayern Munich face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and SC Freiburg take on Sporting Braga in the Europa League.

Ticket information for the Bayer 04 run-in:

Nine points are still up for grabs for the Werkself, and the position in the season run-in is more than exciting. The two home games against RB Leipzig (Saturday, 2 May, 18:30 CEST) and Hamburger SV (Saturday, 16 May, 15:30 CEST) are sold out. An important appeal to Bayer 04 fans: If you are unable to use your season card or match tickets for these games, please put them on the official Bayer 04 ticket exchange. The demand for tickets for these games is very high.

More than 3,000 away tickets have already been sold for the last away game of the season in Stuttgart (Saturday, 9 May, 15:30 CEST). Anyone who does not yet have a ticket and is a Bayer 04 Club member or season card holder can register HERE to secure tickets.

For the run-in, Nordkurve12 has once again called for ‘Finally Red’ at the Werkself's last three games. Let's go for the season finale - all in red, all together!