Bundesliga braces for a four-way battle for two lucrative Champions League spots this week as the German top-tier enters the last stretch with the three remaining matchdays.
Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and surprise teams Freiburg and Union Berlin are locked in their final assault on the two spots, with champions Bayern Munich already having sealed its 10th straight league crown and Borussia Dortmund all but certain of second place.
The top four teams qualify for the Champions League group stages.
Leverkusen, in third place nine points behind Dortmund on 55, hosts Europa League semifinalists Eintracht Frankfurt on Monday while Leipzig, a further point behind in fourth, travel to mercurial Borussia Monchengladbach.
Freiburg has shattered all club records to find themselves in fifth place, its best position ever at this stage of the season on 52 points, and a win over Hoffenheim on Saturday would keep them firmly in the running for a surprise top-four finish.
Union, sixth on 50, completes its quartet with an outside chance of premier European football following its own sensational run this season, having exceeded all expectations and taking on already-relegated Greuther Fuerth on Friday.
But it is Leverkusen who is best positioned to lock down its spot first, with Frankfurt shining on the European stage after the elimination of Barcelona in the Europa League quarterfinals earlier this month but having collapsed in the league.
Frankfurt has just three wins from its 14 Bundesliga matches in 2022, having already lost out on a European spot next season, sitting in ninth place on 40.
Leipzig, who back in December was languishing in 11th place before a sparkling comeback under coach Domenico Tedesco this year, has hit top form at just the right time, having won 10 of its 14 league games since he replaced Jesse Marsch.
It has, however, a heavier schedule than Leverkusen, with its Europa League last four matches against Rangers this week and next, following last week's shock loss to Union in the Bundesliga.
"That defeat to Union was painful but we did have a run of 15 matches without defeat (in all competitions) which is not expected," Tedesco said Tuesday.
"I always try to stress what we have achieved so far and what situation we managed to manoeuver ourselves out of this season."
With the title already wrapped up by Bayern, second-placed Dortmund only needs a point against VfL Bochum to secure their spot in next season's Champions League group stage.