Relegation-threatened Nuremberg fires Verbeek

Relegation-threatened Nuremberg fired coach Gertjan Verbeek with three games of season left (Daniel Karmann/AP)..

NUREMBERG, Germany — Struggling Nuremberg has fired coach Gertjan Verbeek as the club fights to salvage its Bundesliga status with three matches of the season left.

Nuremberg announced on Wednesday that Verbeek and assistant Raymond Libregts have been dismissed with immediate effect. Roger Prinzen, the coach of the under-23 team, will take charge until the end of the season.

Verbeek is the second Nuremberg coach to be sacked this season. The Dutchman was appointed in October following the departure of Michael Wiesinger.

Nuremberg has lost eight of its last nine games, most recently 4-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. It is 17th in the 18-team top flight.

The bottom two Bundesliga teams are relegated automatically. The club that finishes 16th plays off against the third-place finisher in the second division.

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