Heidenheim will be looking to bounce back from their defeat in the league last weekend when they host fellow relegation rivals Wolfsburg on Sunday at Voith-Arena in their 10th Bundesliga game of the season.
The hosts lost 1-0 against Holstein Kiel on November 2 and are 12th in the table with 10 points, just two more than 16th-placed and third last Hoffenheim, while the visitors are 14th with nine points after nine matchweeks.
Match preview
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Heidenheim are only two points from the division's relegation playoff spot and last weekend lost against second-last Holstein Kiel, who occupy the first of two automatic relegation places.
In fairness to the home team, they did create two big chances and produce 17 shots, but manager Frank Schmidt will still be concerned that his team faced 11 shots and four big chances.
Schmidt's side emerged as 2-0 victors against Hearts on Thursday in their third Conference League match of the 2024-25 campaign, though German club only created one big chance in comparison to Hearts' three.
Heidenheim are in poor overall form having lost four, drawn one and won just two of their six most recent games.
The hosts have failed to win their last two home matches, and have been defeated in two of their last three Bundesliga fixtures.
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As for the visitors, they drew 1-1 with Augsburg on November 2 in the league, a match in which the Wolves accumulated 70% possession but struggled to create many opportunities in the final third.
Boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said that he was disappointed with the result given he felt his team were able to get behind Augsburg's defensive lines on a number of occasions, but they were ultimately wasteful with the ball.
The Wolves have scored 16 goals and conceded on 17 occasions in the top flight, and this makes them the league's sixth-best offensive and 13th-best defensive club.
Wolfsburg have only been defeated once in their last six games, winning two and drawing two in that time.
The visitors' away form is fairly strong considering they have triumphed in three of their five away matches this term, with their only loss on the road coming in a narrow 4-3 defeat against champions Bayer Leverkusen on September 22.
Team News
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Heidenheim will be unable to select midfielders Julian Niehues, Luka Janes and Thomas Leon Keller, with Niehues not scheduled to return until late December.
The hosts are likely to start Niklas Dorsch, Lennard Maloney and Jan Schoppner in a midfield three.
Right-back Marnon-Thomas Busch may also miss out as a result of a lack of fitness, so perhaps Schmidt will select a back four consisting of Haktab Omar Traore, Patrick Mainka, Benedikt Gimber and Jonas Fohrenbach.
Wolfsburg have a number of injury concerns, and they will be without goalkeeper Niklas Klinger and defender Rogerio.
Midfielders Aster Vranckx and Mattias Svanberg are also expected to miss out, as are strikers Bartosz Bialek and Jonas Wind.
Forwards Kevin Paredes and Lovro Majer are unlikely to make an appearance, so perhaps Hasenhuttl will field a frontline featuring Ridle Baku, Patrick Wimmer and Tiago Tomas behind Mohamed El Amine Amoura.
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Traore, Mainka, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Dorsch, Maloney, Schoppner; Wanner, Pieringer, Scienza
Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Grabara; Fischer, Vavro, Koulierakis, Maehle; Dardai, Arnold; Baku, Wimmer, Tomas; Amoura
We say: Heidenheim 1-2 Wolfsburg
Heidenheim have been in poor form of late, and it would not be surprising if they failed to win once again.
Additionally, Wolfsburg have performed well in recent weeks, and they could be rewarded for their good showings with a victory on Sunday.
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Lewis Nolan
