Bundesliga Predictions: Places 10-18, who will avoid the drop?

Yesterday, we looked at the top half of the table and my thoughts as to why teams will finish in those places. Now let’s take a look at the bottom half of the table, who will be the biggest surprise and who may face the drop down to the 2. Bundesliga.

10th place – VfB Stuttgart

Hannes Wolf put together a very decent young side following their disappointing relegation back in 2016, their performances in the 2. Bundesliga was captivating and I do feel this rich reign of form can continue into the opening of the season. They have made some interesting young signings to their already young squad but along with those, Stuttgart has brought in some experienced heads in, Holger Badstuber and Ron-Robert Zieler. This combination of experience and youth could be a really good match to shock a lot of people. I predict good things from Stuttgart this campaign and they can finish in 10th place.

11th place – Hertha BSC

With John Anthony Brooks leaving for Wolfsburg this summer and no real replacement coming in, a huge void will be left at the back for Hertha. Pál Dárdai has managed his side to overachieve for the last two seasons and I’m really struggling to see them doing it again. I want them to do well, as a city they deserve a big club challenging for honours. Unfortunately, their lack of depth is concerning. The additions of Davie Selke and Matthew Leckie could help on the goal front but with the likes of Kalou and Vedad Ibišević, I’m struggling to see who will make the lineup week by week. I’m also worried who will get them 15-20+ goals, Selke could possibly be that guy, but he needs playing time and a boost of confidence. He scored a great goal against Hertha last year, so I’m sure the Blau und weiß will want him to show a more consistent spark in front of goal. 

12th place – Werder Bremen

Alexander Nouri did a great job for Bremen last season, considering they looked absolutely shambolic at the beginning under Viktor Skrypnyk, they turned it round after Nouri came in and with the help of Max Kruse saw a rise up the table. I think this season, with the likes of others sides strengthening around them, Werder will not have as much success as last year. Things are going to be incredibly tight throughout the Bundesliga and it is so close to call, but ultimately without Bremen significantly strengthening their squad I can’t see them finishing in the top half. I would love to be proven wrong, but I just can’t see it happening.

13th place – Eintracht Frankfurt

At the start of last season, Niko Kovač got his side into an impressive run of form sitting up in the top 6 for most of the first half of the season. Unfortunately, their second half of the season completely collapsed around them and their form took a turn for the worse. They went through a dreadful run of games without winning and confidence looked like it was at an all time low. If the season was broken down into half seasons then Frankfurt’s form would have seen them relegated. It’s a worrying side considering the opening half was so good. Kovač is a decent coach with a good tactical thought process, the problem being injuries and squad depth is what let them down. They have made some positive signings in Jonathan de Guzman,  Gelson Fernandes and the promising Luka Jovic, Kovač will be hoping his side can remain injury free so he can build a promising start. To put a worrying problem ahead of the season opener is Marco Fabián will be out for the rest of 2017; he is the guy who makes the side tick and will be surely missed during the opening half of the season.

14th place – Freiburg

I like Freiburg a lot and Christian Streich gets them to play a very nice style of football. Streich and Freiburg were delighted to announce the long term manager has signed a new deal at the club, maintaining continuity and long term planning within. Freiburg had a cracking season achieving a Europa League place thanks to Dortmund’s Pokal win. However, Freiburg didn’t make it past the initial qualifying round, which is bad for them and German football, but I also think this could be a blessing in disguise. Due to the fact that Maximilian Philipp and Vincenzo Grifo have left the club for BVB and Gladbach respectively, these two were the catalysts in Freiburg’s success last season and will be big boots to fill. The prospect of European football could have been a huge distraction for Freiburg and their league status could have been in real jeopardy. Without this distraction, they can survive the drop but things may not go as smoothly as last year.

15th place – FSV Mainz 05

Following last year’s disaster, the club decided to part ways with Martin Schmidt and promote within, Sandro Schwarz got the job and now faces the tough task of keeping Mainz in the Bundesliga. Mainz have also lost their main man up top in Jhon Cordoba to Koln and let Florian Niederlechner join Freiburg permanently, begging the question who will get the goals? I am worried about Mainz this coming season and think they will be very close to the drop. I think they might just avoid it again by the skin of their teeth, much like last season.

16th place – Hamburg

Oh Hamburg, what are we going to do with you? They made some interesting signings during the summer break and initially thought they could improve. However, following their abysmal display and being eliminated in the Pokal last weekend, the imbalances and troubles still look apparent. Hamburg have flirted around the drop zone for far too long now and I don’t think they can avoid it this time around.

17th place  – Hannover

I like Hannover and the club deserve to be in the Bundesliga; my only concern is the Bundesliga as a whole is getting stronger and stronger, year by year and I feel the gulf in quality may be too large. Unfortunately, I think they will be one of the casualties to face the drop this season and we could see them yo-yo up and down over the next few seasons.

18th place – Augsburg

Last season they scraped the barrel in their survival and only just managed to pull it off. How they managed it, I really don’t know. They have a real lack of quality and the squad and their performances were something of a concern. I simply cannot see them beating the drop this time around and I am frightened that we could see a Paderborn situation going on, where they drop significantly. I hope for them that I am wrong but I am really struggling to see much more.