From Hamburger to Anzhi Makhachkala: The big profile clubs who faces relegation this season

1. Hamburger SV: Seven-time Bundesliga champions and 1983 European Cup winners, the grand old team of Bundesliga, Hamburg are one of the grandest clubs of Germany. Nicknamed the ‘Dinosaur’, Hamburger SV are the only club to play every season of the Bundesliga since its inception in 1963. But now the club find themselves in a precarious position and going into tonight’s showdown with Borussia Dortmund, Hamburg are 17th in the German top flight and two points back of safety. Hamburg are on an eight-game losing run in all competitions and just last Monday Mirko Slomka was appointed as the third manager of the 2013-14 season after Bert van Marwijk was sacked.

2. Vfb Stuttgart: Stuttgart are another huge club of Germany who might get relegated this season. They have won the 5 German 1st division titles and won their most recent title in 2006/07 season and they have missed only two seasons of play since the top tier of the German football league system was established in 1963. But, Stuttgart are currently experiencing one of their worst runs in years, with six losses in succession ahead of tonight’s match at home to Hertha Berlin. Thomas Schneider, who replaced Bruno Labbadia as manager in August, has so far been unable to make Stuttgart win consistently and with 13 matches remaining, his side sit just two points above the relegation playoff spot.

3. Malaga: Malaga have never been a big club of Spain but since 2010 after sheikh Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani became the new owner of the club, the club saw a change of fortune. Last year they even reached the quarter finals of the Champions League and finished the season in 6th position. But due to financial irregularities, Malaga were banned from participating in European competitions for 4 years and hence they had to sell off their best players and even their manager, Manuel Pellegrini joined Manchester City. His successor, Bernd Schuster, has had nowhere his success, and last weekend’s 4-1 defeat to relegation rival Rayo Vallecano left Malaga only three points above the drop zone.

4. Anzhi Makhachkala: Not so long ago, Anzhi Makhachkala were among the biggest spenders in football. With billionaire Suleyman Kerimov bankrolling the team from Dagestan region of Russia, exorbitant transfer fees and wages were paid to secure the services of world class talents like Samuel Eto, Roberto Carlos, Yuri Zhirkov, Willian and Christopher Samba, and in 2012-13 they came third in the Russian Premier League. But Kerimov have pulled out his support, Anzhi are now deeply into the relegation quagmire, having not won a single match this season in the Russian league.

5. Werder Bremen: The third German club in the list is Werder Bremen. Werder Bremen are 4-time Bundesliga champions and a permanent fixture in the European scene from Germany. But this season they are having a nightmare, having struggled all along the season. Werder Bremen have the Bundesliga’s second-worst defensive record through 21 rounds and currently sit 13th in the standings—four points clear of the relegation playoff spot. But their current form makes them a potential candidate for the drop, as Robin Dutt’s side has posted only two wins since October.