Heidenheim host Europe-chasing Borussia Monchengladbach at Voith-Arena on Saturday, knowing they could fall into the automatic relegation spots after this weekend's Bundesliga action.
Frank Schmidt's third-bottom side are above VfL Bochum on goal difference and must better the 17th-placed club's result in gameweek 24, but it remains to be seen if the strugglers can get the better of a Gladbach outfit still reeling after last week's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Augsburg.
Match preview
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If a point away to RB Leipzig had been offered to Heidenheim before the start of gameweek 23, the second-bottom side would have taken a tie to end a five-match losing run.
However, the circumstances of the 2-2 draw in which the relegation-threatened side took a 2-0 lead in the opening 15 minutes before being pegged back must have rankled.
With St Pauli in 15th falling to a third consecutive defeat, Heidenheim missed an opportunity to move four points behind the club directly above them in the standings heading into the campaign's 24th round.
Despite the disappointment of blowing a two-goal advantage on the road, Schmidt's men aim to bounce back from last week's setback to end a three-match losing run in front of their supporters and record a first home success in four.
That outcome would be the third-bottom club's third success on their turf in 2024-25, and while maximum points will not take them out of the relegation playoff spot, Schmidt's team will hold off 17th-placed Bochum for one more week or even create separation if the latter lose to Hoffenheim.
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Gladbach will welcome this weekend's visit to Baden-Wurttemberg, aiming to inflict a ninth home defeat on the club with the worst record as hosts in the German top flight.
Jonas Omlin's 28th-minute sending-off put Gerardo Seoane's men on the back foot, and Alexis Claude-Maurice's second-half hat-trick meant the European contenders were handed a 3-0 loss on their turf by Augsburg last time out, halting a four-match sequence of accruing 10 points from an available 12.
The upshot of that disappointment saw ninth-placed Gladbach fail to capitalise on Leipzig in sixth, Stuttgart in seventh and Wolfsburg in eighth all playing out draws in the previous round; Die Fohlen look to notch a third consecutive away victory to restore positivity in the race to end in the top six after the recent setback.
The travelling fans should be optimistic, given their side's form heading into the weekend, with the Foals joint-third in the form table considering the last five rounds after accruing 10 points from 15, behind only Bayern Munich (13) and Freiburg (12).
However, Gladbach's prospects in Baden-Wurttemberg could be undermined by an absence of clean sheets — they have kept one shutout in 12 top-flight matches and are without one in four — entering Saturday's contest.
Team News
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Jan Schoppner is suspended after picking up his fifth booking in last week's draw at Leipzig, while Leo Scienza (groin), Maximilian Breunig (ankle) and Niklas Dorsch (knee) are expected absentees.
Marvin Pieringer netted for the first time since November to take his tally to five Bundesliga goals, one more than Mathias Honsak, and Heidenheim's top goalscorer aims to score in consecutive matches.
Omlin's suspension means Seoane is forced into a change between the sticks, with Tobias Sippel expected to deputise for his first Bundesliga start since March 2023 — a 3-0 defeat at Leipzig.
Franck Honorat (ankle), Moritz Nicolas (groin), and Rocco Reitz (toe) are also absent for the visitors due to injury.
Tim Kleindienst netted a brace in the reverse fixture — a 3-2 Gladbach win — to hurt his former club, and the 14-goal forward aims to add to his seven away goals this weekend; the forward has netted four match-clinching strikes this season — only Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (seven) and Mainz 05's Jonathan Burkardt (six) have more.
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Gimber, Mainka, Siersleben; Traore, Kerber, Niehues, Fohrenbach; Kratzig, Honsak; Pieringer
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Sippel; Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Ullrich; Sander, Weigl; Ngoumou, Stoger, Hack; Kleindienst
We say: Heidenheim 1-3 Borussia Monchengladbach
Despite Gladbach's failure to keep clean sheets, the Foals, seeking a third consecutive away victory in the Bundesliga for the first time since 2020, are backed to seal a comfortable success at Heidenheim.
The hosts have conceded two goals or more in six of their recent seven matches at Voith-Arena, and that pattern should continue this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
