Heidenheim and Borussia Dortmund get the Bundesliga weekend underway when they meet at the Voith Arena on Friday night.
These two sides are among just five in the Bundesliga who remain unbeaten in 2024, with the visitors in particular making an excellent start to the year.
Match preview
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In their first-ever Bundesliga season, Heidenheim continue to perform above expectations, as they currently find themselves in mid-table, a comfortable distance away from the relegation picture.
An unbeaten run stretching back six games has helped Frank Schmidt's side climb the table both before and after the winter break.
Heidenheim ended 2023 on a high, with three successive wins to sign off before the break, getting the better of Darmstadt, Mainz and Freiburg.
Their start to 2024 has not been quite as impressive, but they remain unbeaten, having drawn all three games 1-1 so far this year.
Two of those draws coming away from home is a promising sign considering they lost six of their first seven games on the road this season.
Intriguingly enough, the only exception in that run was in the reverse fixture back in early September, when Eren Dinkci and Tim Kleindienst netted to pull Heidenheim back from 2-0 down to draw at Signal Iduna Park.
Home form has been much more impressive though, as they are unbeaten in five here, taking 11 points from a possible 15.
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That will certainly test the mettle of Dortmund, who are looking to maintain a 100% record so far in 2024.
After an underwhelming first half of the season where Edin Terzic's side failed to win any of their final six games of 2023, they have turned that form upside down since returning to competitive action.
Three wins out of three, scoring 10 goals in the process, has seen Dortmund rise into the top four, taking advantage of RB Leipzig's poor start to the year to leapfrog them.
While a title challenge is almost certainly off the cards, BVB are only one point off Stuttgart in third place too, so a place in the Champions League positions could become even more secure should they continue this fine run.
However, their three opponents so far in 2024 have all been sides in the bottom five, so the jury is still out on Terzic's men, especially when they come up against stronger opposition domestically.
Team News
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Heidenheim defender Benedikt Gimber was forced off at half time of their draw at Hoffenheim last week after suffering a blow to the head, but may well remain part of the squad unless there is any lasting concussion.
Schmidt could also be able to welcome back Denis Thomalla in attack, after he missed the opening three games of the year with illness.
Thomas Keller and Elidon Qenaj are both confirmed to be out though, as they continue recoveries from knee injuries.
Illness has also swept through the Dortmund camp, as Marco Reus, Julian Brandt and Gregor Kobel all missed out last weekend with a bug.
Sebastian Haller remains at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, after he scored one of the penalties in their shootout win over Senegal in his first appearance of the finals.
Algerian Ramy Bensebaini has returned, though, after his nation's woeful showing, and he should feature after not flying back in time to feature against Bochum.
Attacking duo Felix Nmecha and Karim Adeyemi remain sidelined for the visitors, while Julian Ryerson is facing an extended spell out with a serious knee injury.
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Traore, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Maloney, Beck; Dinkci, Kleindienst, Beste
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Meunier, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Ozcan, Brandt; Sancho, Fullkrug, Reus
We say: Heidenheim 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
A substantial 17 of Heidenheim's 23 points this season have come here on home soil, and it has also been the place for entertainment, as five of their nine games at the Voith Arena have seen five or more goals.
However, Dortmund have been unstoppable in 2024 so far, and should come out on top in what could be another entertaining game involving these sides.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
