relegation battle
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relegation battle
In sports, a team's struggle not to fall to one of the last places in the standings and thus be relegated to a lower league or division.
Der Verein befindet sich seit Wochen im Abstiegskampf.
The club has been in a relegation battle for weeks.
The word is a compound made up of 'der Abstieg' (relegation) and 'der Kampf' (battle/struggle). So it literally describes the 'Kampf gegen den Abstieg' (battle against relegation) to a lower league.
Für die Fans ist der Abstiegskampf eine Zeit voller Nervosität.
For the fans, the relegation battle is a time full of nervousness.
The fixed expressions 'im Abstiegskampf sein' (to be in a relegation battle), 'sich im Abstiegskampf befinden' (to find oneself in a relegation battle), and 'im Abstiegskampf stecken' (to be stuck in a relegation battle) are often used.
Nach der Niederlage steckt die Mannschaft tief im Abstiegskampf.
After the defeat, the team is deep in the relegation battle.
This word is used almost exclusively in the context of sports, especially in team sports with a league system, such as soccer, handball, or ice hockey.
Die Sportzeitung berichtet täglich über den spannenden Abstiegskampf.
The sports newspaper reports daily on the exciting relegation battle.
descent / relegation / decline
'der Abstieg' and 'der Abstiegskampf' are closely connected in sports, but they do not mean the same thing. 'Der Abstieg' is the result: a team moves down to a lower league. 'Der Abstiegskampf' is the difficult phase before that, when a team is trying to prevent exactly that from happening. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with the lower part of the standings. If something has already happened, you say 'Abstieg'. If the fight is still going on, you say 'Abstiegskampf'.
Im Frühling steckt die Mannschaft jedes Jahr im Abstiegskampf.
Every year in spring, the team is caught up in a relegation battle.
Nach der Niederlage war der Abstieg des Vereins nicht mehr zu verhindern.
After the defeat, the club's relegation could no longer be prevented.