Two Bundesliga sides with very different final-day aspirations face off on Saturday as Werder Bremen hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Wohninvest Weserstadion.
Bremen occupy the relegation play-off spot going into the contest. Last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Augsburg led to a coaching change, as Florian Kohfeldt was removed and former manager Thomas Schaaf was brought in. Their recent form is by far the worst in the league, as Die Grün-Weißen have only picked up one point from a possible 27 in their last nine league games.
That has left them on 31 points, and their status for next season is very much up in the air since Bremen can either stay up, go to the relegation play-off, or be relegated automatically depending on their result and scores elsewhere. Their competition are Arminia Bielefeld, who sit in 15th place on 32 points and travel to Stuttgart, and Köln, who are in 17th on 30 points and take on an already-relegated Schalke. No matter what happens in all three of the games, there should be plenty of drama.
As for Mönchengladbach, in what will be manager Marco Rose's final match in charge, they need a win in order to keep their hopes of UEFA Conference League qualification alive after last weekend's disappointing defeat to Stuttgart. That loss put them in 8th, one point behind Union Berlin, who overtook them after their 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen. Urs Fischer's side host RB Leipzig on Saturday, and if they are to pull off a victory, then Gladbach won't be playing European football next season.
Team news
Werder Bremen - Bremen have a number of doubts going into Saturday's finale, as Marco Friedl, Miloš Veljković, Ömer Toprak, Jean-Manuel Mbom, and Ludwig Augustinsson all have a chance of playing.
Christian Groß and Eren Dinkçi are both suspended for the contest, while Nick Woltemade and Luca Plogmann are out with knee injuries.
Borussia Mönchengladbach - The only certain absentee for Gladbach is Mamadou Doucouré, who has an achilles injury, while it's unclear if Ibrahima Traoré will be able to feature.
Predicted lineups
Werder Bremen - Jiri Pavlenka; Ömer Toprak, Niklas Moisander, Marco Friedl; Theodor Gebre Selassie, Maximilian Eggestein, Kevin Möhwald, Leonardo Bittencourt, Ludwig Augustinsson; Josh Sargent, Milot Rashica
Borussia Mönchengladbach - Yann Sommer; Stefan Lainer, Nico Elvedi, Matthias Ginter, Oscar Wendt; Florian Neuhaus, Christoph Kramer; Jonas Hofmann, Lars Stindl, Marcus Thuram; Alassane Pléa
Form guide
Werder Bremen - LLLDL - last game - 2-0 (L) vs FC Augsburg
Borussia Mönchengladbach - WLWLL - last game - 1-2 (L) vs VFB Stuttgart
Ones to watch
Werder Bremen - If Bremen have ever needed Milot Rashica to stand up and be counted, it is now. In what is likely to be his final match for the club, the perfect parting gift would be a superb performance that helps his team secure survival. The Kosovo international's levels have significantly dropped off this season, especially after a disrupted start in which he was linked with a move to the Premier League before picking up an injury. Arguably Die Grün-Weißen's most talented player, the fact that he's only scored twice all year shows the struggles that the 24-year-old has gone through this campaign. However, all of those poor showings won't matter to the club if Rashica is ultimately able to lead Bremen to safety.
Borussia Mönchengladbach - Three Gladbach players have been called up as part of Joachim Löw's final Germany squad for the upcoming Euros; Florian Neuhaus, Jonas Hofmann, and Matthias Ginter. Hofmann has arguably been the team's player of the season, ahead of the likes of the aforementioned Ginter, Yann Sommer, and captain Lars Stindl. Goals against the likes of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig have put Marco Rose's team within a chance of European football, and if they are to end up qualifying, then it'll likely come via more quality play from Hofmann.
Previous meetings
If head-to-head record is anything to go by, then Bremen stand very little chance of survival. They have not beaten Mönchengladbach in the league since August of 2015, with Gladbach winning seven times in this matchup since then.
The game earlier in the campaign ended 1-0 to Die Fohlen, with Nico Elvedi heading in the winner midway through the second half.
How to watch
Saturday's affair will air live on BT Sport ESPN at 14:30 BST, while those in the United States will be able to watch the game on ESPN+ at 9:30 a.m. EST.
What have the managers said?
Werder Bremen manager Thomas Schaaf - "People always say 'The most important game' but every game is important. I always strive to be performing at the maximum level possible. I want the players to take on that attitude as well."
Borussia Mönchengladbach manager Marco Rose - "We don't know exactly what to expect on Saturday, so its even more important that we focus on ourselves. Thomas Schaaf is very experienced and will no doubt bring fresh impetus. We need to be prepared for everything."
"We know that we need the result in Berlin to go our way, but its no good if it does and we don't get the job done. We have to deliver a good performance first, then we can worry about what happens with Union."