Werder Bremen extended their 39-year stay in the Bundesliga for at least another 10 days on Saturday, when they thumped Cologne 6-1 to avoid automatic relegation.
The four-times Bundesliga champions completed the first half of what could become a great escape as they climbed out of the drop zone and leapfrogged Fortuna Duesseldorf to finish 16th in the 18-team table.
They now face a two-leg playoff against the team that finishes third in the second division — Heidenheim or Hamburg SV — on July 2 and 6. Fortuna lost 3-0 at Union and were relegated.
Recent history is on Werder’s side as the playoff has been won by the team from the top flight eight times in the last ten seasons.
Reuters /Â
