Kaiserslautern head coach convinced “there will be a Final” away at Köln | OneFootball

With two games remaining in the 2024/25 2. Bundesliga campaign, the race for promotion to the German top division heads towards an epic conclusion. Recent results leave seven clubs still able to dream of reaching the top flight.

Only six points separate first-place Hamburger SV from seventh-place FC Kaiserslautern. Lautern, SC Paderborn 07, FC Magdeburg, and Fortuna Düsseldorf are only two points off SV Elversberg in the relegation playoff place. Hannover 96 and Karlsruher SC aren’t arithmetically eliminated either.

Second-place FC Köln – following a 1-1 draw at SSV Jahn Regensburg this weekend – have pressed the panic button, opting to sack both their head coach and long-time sporting director. The Domstädter have replicated the strategy of one of their promotion rivals. Kaiserslautern too decided to roll the dice with a coaching change two weeks ago.

Since the Pfälzer Red Devils placed Torsten Lieberknecht on the bench, they’ve gained four points from two league fixtures. A home win against Schalke and a draw away at regional rivals Karlsruher SC on Sunday at least ensured that the FCK picked up four points.

Lieberknecht’s team must still win at home at against the head-coach’s most recent club, SV Darmstadt 98, next weekend in order to keep their promotion dream alive. Köln can still secure automatic promotion with a win away at FC Nürnberg next Friday night.

Lieberknecht – who had already brought up the interesting historical parallels of a Lautern trip to the cathedral city after his first match – spoke again of Köln when conducting his post-match Sky Germany interview yesterday.

“You can see from the table what is possible,” Lieberknecht said, “It’s crunch time. There will be a Final [something to play for] in Köln. I’m convinced of that.”

GGFN | Peter Weis