Bundesliga 2017/18 mid-season report: 5 takeaways

#5 The race for Champions League finish is one of the most closely contested in years

Race to Champions League: Who'll make the cut?

As Bayern Munich continue to again ascendancy under Heynckes, the rest are once again, left to catch-up with them. But this time, there has been an unusually close contest between the teams in the top half, as right from second-place side to the one on 10th, are all in the mix to finish within Champions League places. Just look at the standings right now.

The gap between Schalke (2nd in the table) and Hertha Berlin (10th in the table) is only 6 points! Compare that to those of Premier League, La Liga and the Serie A, it's 19, 15 and 18 respectively, further accentuating Bundesliga's taut competition for Europe this season.

Moreover, as many as four teams are tied at 28 points on 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, as only the goal-difference separate them, literally smashing all the prophecy and predictions out of the park with such mind-boggling stats.

Even though knocking Bayern off their perch remains beyond the bounds of possibilities for anyone, at least the league is infinitely more open below them, making it one of the more entertaining leagues this time