Showdown at Castroper Straße. VfL Bochum will be fighting to stay in the Bundesliga at home on Saturday (15:30).

The relegation battle in the Bundesliga is coming to a head. For VfL Bochum, too, it’s down to the wire on the season’s home stretch. Coach Thomas Letsch’s team is in a direct relegation spot with three matchdays to go.

A win on Saturday against FC Augsburg (15:30, RS-Liveticker) is actually a must. But that is easier said than done. VfL has been waiting for a win for six games now. Above all, the former home power is crumbling.

While the club record of five home wins in a row was set in the meantime, the last victory in the Ruhrstadion dates back to 18 March on matchday 25. The 1:0 win against RB Leipzig was also the last success before the three-game drought. In order for this to end on matchday 32, the Bochum fans really put their backs into it and presented a huge choreography.

Long before kick-off, the first fan chants were already intoned. A smaller banner read: “We for you & and you for us together to stay in the league!” The mood in the stands in the best spring weather was one of tense anticipation. The closer the game got, the more it began to crackle.

When the teams entered the pitch, the East Curve and parts of the main stands were bathed in blue and white flags, as they had been for the derby against Borussia Dortmund. A large banner on the edge of the pitch read: “Und kommst du in ein Stadion, blau-weiße Fahnen weh’n!” (And if you come to a stadium, blue and white flags fly!) – a line from the VfL’s popular fan chant.

Coach Letsch had also appealed for support from the stands during the week. “I’m convinced that what’s going on in Bochum right now throughout the city, this positive atmosphere, we’ll get it into the stadium on Saturday.” The first step towards that has definitely been taken.