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Matchday 5 in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League turned out to be a pretty good one for Bundesliga clubs. After a disappointing campaign last year, the league as a whole needed a rebound in Europe this season, and it’s certainly looking like they’re going to get one.
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Schalke all clinched qualification to the knockout rounds with one match remaining. Hoffenheim won’t be advancing to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, but they could find themselves dropping into the Europa League if things go their way on Matchday 6.
Overall, it’s a very successful campaign for the clubs in Europe’s elite competition.
Last Season in Europe
That’s a great turnaround when most Bundesliga fans would like to forget about the dreadful 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. Bayern found themselves eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champion Real Madrid who were once again the benefactors of some dubious calls; however, the rest of the Bundesliga would certainly like to forget it ever took place.
Exactly how bad was last season in the Champions League? Hoffenheim didn’t even qualify for the group stage, while Dortmund and Leipzig were dumped out of the group stage into the Europa League’s knockout rounds.
The three Bundesliga teams in the Europa League group stage all crashed out before the knockout rounds.
It was dreadful performances from everyone except Bayern.
This year in the Europa League
So, what are the three Bundesliga clubs doing down in the Europa League this season?
Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt have already clinched their spot in the knockout rounds of the competition with two matches remaining in the group stage. Both clubs currently top their groups.
The other club still in the running to advance is RB Leipzig. Shockingly, UEFA thought it was okay to drop them into a group with their sister-club Red Bull Salzburg. Why did they do this? While the Austrians currently top this group on 12 points, Leipzig and Celtic are both sitting on 6 points (Leipzig lead on goal differential). The group, however, is completely up for grabs. Leipzig travel to Salzburg and host Rosenborg, while Celtic travel to Rosenborg and host Salzburg. This one will certainly come down to the final matchday.