Drama in the battle for survival, a scramble for a Europa League place and a fight for third place – Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim's Matchday 34 games have it all as the two sides bid to beat each other to the final automatic Champions League berth.

"The scenario hasn't changed dramatically, I actually prefer it this way. It's crystal clear: we have two finals coming up, one in Dortmund and one in Berlin," said Thomas Tuchel following the 1-1 draw away to FC Augsburg, before adding. "We have always performed well in these matches, so we are feeling very optimistic."

There will no false sense of security that a point could be enough for the Black & Yellows after they missed out on victory in Augsburg last time out. "Not much has changed. We need to get a victory against Bremen. Perhaps it is actually a good thing that this level of tension remains, with the Cup final in mind as well," Marcel Schmelzer explained.

Borussia will remain third...

  • if Hoffenheim lose against Augsburg
  • if they draw against Bremen and Hoffenheim fail to win
  • if they beat Bremen at home (by one goal) and Hoffenheim don't win by five goals or more.

Theoretically, there could be a photo finish. Let's assume BVB – as they have done in the last five years – win narrowly, by a 2-1 scoreline for example. Their goals scored for the season would be 70 and their goals against 38. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim beat Augsburg 5-0. TSG (69:37 goals) would have the same points tally and goal difference, yet BVB would finish third on goals scored (70:69). If Hoffenheim win 6-1, both teams would have the same points tally and goal difference. But Dortmund would stay third due to their superior head-to-head record (2-2 away, 2-1 at home). However, if Hoffenheim win 7-2, they would get the final automatic UCL spot on goals scored. (br)