FC Hollywood is nomenclature for Germany’s top footballing side, Bayern Munich, thanks to their propensity for off the field drama. The Allianz Arena juggernauts got the nom de guerre during the 1990s when the Bavarians weren’t as dominant a force as they are today. Ten consecutive Bundesliga titles brought stability both on and off the pitch where legends Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic rule the roost, as successors to forebearers Franz Beckenbauer, Karl Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness.
Fast forward to the 2022/23 season, and the FC Hollywood moniker is reverberating across the Bundesliga because Bayern Munich literally shot themselves in the foot when they fired the nation’s most promising young tactician, Julian Nagelsmann, and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel. The latter’s arrival has coincided with an extended abysmal run that saw the Rekordmeisters knocked out of the Champions League 4-1 on aggregate by Manchester City, torpedoed by little Freiburg in the German Cup and overtaken by Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
A summer of upheaval lies in store at the Allianz Arena boardroom where heads are expected to roll unless Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund squander a two point lead in their final encounter of the season at home to Mainz. Given their unpredictable form, there is no guarantee Bayern Munich will meet their side of the bargain when they travel to old foes Koln. All nine matches are to be played simultaneously on Saturday afternoon.
The nerve wrecking end to the current campaign extends to Champions League qualification as zero points separate Urs Fischer’s fourth placed Union Berlin from Christian Steich’s Freiburg. The side from the capital can seal their first ever place in the world’s most famous club tournament by beating Werder Bremen at home. Anything less will open the door for Freiburg who have the unenviable task of beating Oliver Glasner’s German Cup finalists Eintracht Frankfurt on their own turf.
At the opposite end of the table, Hertha Berlin’s relegation has shifted attention to the two places above them. One of Germany’s best supported clubs, Schalke, face the drop only one season after promotion from Bundesliga 2, unless they can conjure up the magic to beat RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena. Relegation rivals Bochum, who currently occupy the playoff slot, host Europa League chasing Bayer Leverkusen on the final day whereas former champions Stuttgart welcome Hoffenheim to the Mercedes Benz Arena.
SATURDAY
Koln v Bayern Munich,
Borussia Dortmund v Mainz,
Gladbach v Augsburg,
Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg,
RB Leipzig v Schalke,
Union Berlin v Werder Bremen,
Stuttgart v Hoffenheim,
Bochum v Bayer Leverkusen,
Wolfsburg v Hertha Berlin
