One of the biggest storylines to emerge from the latest set of Bundesliga Saturday afternoon kickoffs concerns the race for the Champions League. Two wealthy non-50+1 Bundesliga clubs – both of whom missed out on Europe last year – spent a great deal of money last summer in hopes of returning to the top four. RB Leipzig have now leapt ahead of their fellow UCL aspirants Hoffenheim with six matches remaining.
Hoffenheim losing the thread
Christian Ilzer’s Kraichgauer were tapped for a top-four finish this year and appeared very much ahead of the curve during the first half of the season. While Leipzig retained a slight edge entering the Christmas break, Hoffenheim came storming out of the gate at the turn of the calendar year.
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Five consecutive Bundesliga victories in January 2026 catapulted Ilzer’s team up to third place in the Bundesliga table. As February prepared to get rolling, Hoffenheim were six points above fifth placed Leipzig.
Since then, however, Hoffenheim have lost four of their eight league fixtures. The Sinsheimers lost against relegation candidates St. Pauli and were only able to take a single point off bottom table clubs Köln and Wolfsburg.
One win in their last six Bundesliga matches (and two in their last eight) simply isn’t good enough.
In a direct dual in the Friday night fixture just prior to the March international break, Leipzig completely crushed Ilzer’s team 5-0 at home. Hoffenheim’s loss to Mainz this weekend – combined with Leipzig’s win over Werder Bremen – leaves the German Red Bulls three points about fifth placed Hoffenheim.
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Hoffenheim try to remain positive
“We’ve been conceding goals too easily,” Hoffenheim sporting director Andreas Schicker remarked in the mixed zone. “We just need to regain our composure and, ultimately, there’s a good chance that we’ll be headed for Europe.“
“This was an avoidable defeat,” goal-scorer Fisnik Asllani – who has been lined with a move away from the club – said. “Just let me play my football and we’ll talk at the end of the season. We’ll keep going and get out of this.“
“The key is not to lose our cool,” club captain and Germany No. 1 goalkeeper Oliver Baumann added.
Leipzig gaining in confidence
“Despite the flaws, three points after the international break are incredibly important,” Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer noted in his mixed zone interview at the Weser Stadion. “Now we can approach the next six games with confidence, even if [due to the flawed performances] we’ve much work to do. We’ve got grand ambitions and want to keep this Champions League spot.”
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“If we keep getting three points, we’ll be in the Champions league,” RB goal-scorer Romulo succinctly noted.
“Not everything went perfectly, but it’s the win that counts,” RB club captain and German national team starter David Raum added.
