The Bundesliga's two bottom sides will face off in a relegation showdown this Saturday as SC Paderborn welcome Werder Bremen to the Benteler Arena.
Paderborn go into the tie following a 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig, whereas Bremen suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat to Wolfsburg last time out.
Match preview
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Paderborn's second ever campaign in the Bundesliga has been a harsh welcome back to what life is like in Germany's elite competition.
Steffen Baumgart's side appear destined for a swift return to the second division having picked up only four wins all season, and Paderborn now sit 11 points adrift of safety with four games left.
Baumgart was forced to witness his side succumb to a crushing 6-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago, although Paderborn did manage to hold Champions League hopefuls Leipzig to a 1-1 stalemate last Saturday.
Christian Strohdiek netted an injury-time equaliser following Dayot Upamecano's red card for Leipzig, but Baumgart's men have now drawn four of their last five league fixtures.
Furthermore, the Bundesliga's basement side are on an 11-game winless run stretching back to January, but it is still mathematically possible for Paderborn to avoid the drop as the season draws to a close.
However, should Paderborn suffer defeat this weekend and Fortuna Dusseldorf record a shock victory in their clash with Dortmund, Paderborn's relegation from the Bundesliga will be confirmed at the end of play on Saturday.
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Similarly, Bremen's fight to avoid the drop has just become even more difficult after back-to-back defeats against Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg.
It seems unthinkable for a club of Bremen's stature to be among the bottom two in Germany's top flight, but Florian Kohfeldt's side will need to play their heart out in these final few games if they are to maintain their Bundesliga status.
Having amassed six wins, seven draws and 17 losses thus far, Bremen currently lie on 25 points - six from safety and three off the relegation playoff spot as things stand.
Nevertheless, Kohfeldt has every reason to be optimistic about his side's fortunes prior to the weekend as five out of Bremen's six wins all season have come away from home, including victories at Freiburg and Schalke since the restart.
Paderborn actually enjoyed a 1-0 victory over Bremen in their clash back in December courtesy of Sven Michel's late winner.
Paderborn Bundesliga form: LDDDLD
Werder Bremen competition form: LWDWLL
Team News
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Paderborn will have to make do without Uwe Hunemeier and Streli Mamba, both of whom are suspended for the weekend's match.
Luca Kilian is also a doubt with a thigh problem, but Sebastian Schonlau may be fit enough to start in defence after missing out last weekend.
Baumgart faces a dilemma up top in Mamba's absence, but former Norwich City man Dennis Srbeny will likely start alongside one of Michel or Ben Zolinski.
Bremen have been boosted by the return of Omer Toprak, Claudio Pizarro and Niclas Fullkrug to training, but the trio are unlikely to be involved this weekend.
Nuri Sahin and Kevin Mohwald are definitely out, while Milot Rashica is also facing a race to be fit after suffering an ankle injury.
Should Rashica fail to make the starting lineup for the weekend, Joshua Sargent will likely be given a chance from the first whistle.
Paderborn possible starting lineup:
Zingerle; Jans, Schonlau, Strohdiek, Collins; Proger, Vasiliadis, Gjasula, Antwi-Adjei; Srbeny, Michel
Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:
Pavlenka; Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic, Moisander, Friedl; Vogt, Eggestein, Klaassen, Osako; Bittencourt, Sargent
We say: Paderborn 0-1 Werder Bremen
At a time when every side battling to avoid the drop needs to pick up as many points as possible, something has to give. Bremen have enjoyed some decent success on the road this season, however, and we expect Kohfeldt's side to take the spoils and all but confirm Paderborn's relegation.
