German Football / Razhan Miran / 22 May 2009 / Leave a comment

Razhan Miran previews the last round of matches in the Bundesliga for the season and predicts Wolfsburg will be crowned German champions by the skin of their teeth plus the best of the rest from the remaining matches.

It saddens me to think that after Saturday, it will be almost three months before my next helping of Bundesliga action. This season has been truly magnificent, and an utter pleasure to comment throughout the year.

As leagues across Europe draw to an end, the excitement seems to be at the bottom end of the tables, with the champions crowned all too soon. Of course the exact opposite is true in Germany.

Bar the overturning of a substantial goal difference, Monchengladbach look set for another year of top flight action, with Bielefeld, Cottbus and of course the already-relegated Karlsruhe on their way out.

And so we turn our attentions to the most difficult question in football. Who will be crowned Bundesliga champions?

I have no doubt that as Bundesliga correspondent, I have the toughest job here at betting.betfair.com! The favourites in the major leagues across Europe all cruised to their respective titles, and the top four in each look familiar.

There were a few exceptions of course. The French took an unpredictable turn quite recently as Lyon missed out on defending their title, the Portuguese seemed to have been more open until midway through when normal service was resumed and Porto eventually won it and the pundit who called Alkmaar to take the Dutch title can be considered a genius.

And then there's the German. A decent run of form was all that was needed to find yourself at the top, and over this year, many obliged. Yet somehow neither of the pre-season favourites, Bayern and Werder, were amongst those that did.

Schalke looked to have started brightly, before Martin Jol's Hamburg showed they were in for the long haul. An exciting Leverkusen then hit the summit, before the rookies Hoffenheim stormed to first. A brief Bayern comeback was staged, only to crumble after the winter break. Then a sure but steady Hertha managed to sidestep the free for all at the top, going four points clear at one stage, before being steamrolled by Felix Magath's Wolfsburg, on their march to the title.

Wolfsburg go into their final match at home to Werder, with a two point advantage over Bayern and Stuttgart in second and third respectively. The championship is in their own hands, and all that stands in their way is a disheartened Werder side, who fell to a disappointing two-one loss at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk in the Uefa Cup final on Wednesday.

In fact, considering their superior goal difference, a draw is likely to be enough to seal the title, but against dangerous opposition, playing for a draw could very well back fire. Werder are more than capable of causing an upset, and at [1.47], I wouldn't be backing the home team. However I do think they will be crowned champions on Saturday, albeit by taking just a point on the last day. Take the draw at a massive [5.1].

Bayern and Stuttgart actually lock horns on the final day, in a match that could leave them as either Bundesliga Champions, or in the worst scenario, Europa Cup qualifiers. Should Hertha beat rock bottom Karlsruhe, then they will leap frog one of the aforementioned for certain, and pip them to a Champions League place.

It is a match of extraordinary importance, and one which will not only define this year, but the next. I think it will be quite cagey initially, and fully expect the first team to score to sit back and defend for their lives. Take the [2.96] on the Under 2.5 Goals in this one, with a view to backing the Over 2.5 Goals later on in the game. The thinking here is that whatever the result may be, as the game draws into the later stages, one of the teams will be forced to attack and commit more men forward, leaving space for opposition to exploit.

As for Hertha, they will make it hard work to overcome Karlsruhe, but will do it none the less. It has been a fantastic year for coach Lucien Favre, and it looks as though his efforts will be rewarded with a place in next season's champions league. Take Hertha to win at [1.76].