Our next opponents: Belief and confidence back with FCH

Position

Heidenheim are on a bit of a roll: two consecutive wins and a draw in their last three outings have seen coach Frank Schmidt's men move back up to 16th position. It remains tight around the relegation play-off spot, though, with St. Pauli three points clear in 15th place and 17th-placed Bochum breathing down Heidenheim's necks just two points behind. Nevertheless, the 1-0 victory at Wolfsburg last weekend should give FCH a healthy boost in the battle for survival. Having slipped to the bottom of the standings after the 3-0 defeat at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach at the start of March, it was a moment of liberation for the Swabians. They didn't just produce a disciplined defensive performance against the Wolves, but also made things happen in attack. In the end, Marvin Pieringer's penalty after 15 minutes was enough for a fully deserved three points. "I think we produced a very good away performance and worked as a team," praised Schmidt, who has been head coach of Heidenheim for over 17 years. His team had already claimed a hugely important 3-1 win over relegation rivals Holstein Kiel before the international break, their first Bundesliga success in two months.

The club from east Baden-Württemberg, who even qualified for the UEFA Conference League by finishing eighth in their debut Bundesliga campaign last year, have now found hope again. "They were certainly big points in the relegation battle," stated captain Patrick Mainka after the win at Wolfsburg. "It brings the belief and confidence back." Goalscorer Pieringer was also relieved: "A lot of people have seen us as down and out in the last few months, and perhaps we were. But after the wins against Kiel and Wolfsburg, everyone knows we can never be written off."

Personnel

Defender Omar Traoré is available again to face Bayer 04 after being suspended against Wolfsburg. It's likely that the right-back will return to the starting line-up. Tim Siersleben and Benedikt Gimber could again feature in the defence alongside centre-back Mainka and in front of goalkeeper Kevin Müller. In the centre of midfield, Niklas Dorsch and Jan Schöppner have established themselves as a steady duo in recent games. The likes of Adrian Beck and Leo Scienza are responsible for providing the creativity in attack. Young midfielders Frans Krätzig and Paul Wanner, both on loan from Bayern Munich, are also candidates for the starting XI. Up front, centre-forward Pieringer is the man in form and is the team's top scorer with seven goals, as well as two assists.

Alongside him, January signing Budu Zivzivadse has established himself. The Georgian international joined in the winter transfer window from Karlsruher SC, where he was the leading goalscorer in Bundesliga 2 at that point with 12 goals in 17 games. The 31-year-old took a little longer to find his feet with his new employers, netting for the first time in his 10th Bundesliga appearance in the 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim before contributing a goal and an assist against Kiel. Zivzivadze did injure his ankle against Wolfsburg and is therefore a doubt for Saturday. However, Heidenheim's second-highest goalscorer so far this season, Mathias Honsak (four goals, one assist), is fit again after his muscle injury.

Problems

For much of this season, Heidenheim's attack haven't offered enough. The departures of Tim Kleindienst, Jan-Niklas Beste and Eren Dinkci last summer have been badly felt. Between them, the trio were responsible for 30 of FCH's 50 goals in their debut top-flight season. So far this term, the Swabians have lacked firepower and penetration for long periods. In the 3-0 loss at home to Gladbach, goalkeeper Müller described Heidenheim as "frighteningly chanceless". The team in red and blue have particularly struggled in front of their own fans, winning just three of 13 matches at the Voith-Arena (D1, L9). With 10 points, Schmidt's side have the worst home record in the league. There's been a lack of defensive solidity too this season: 52 goals conceded after 27 matchdays is already almost as many as in the whole of the 2023/24 campaign (55).

performers

Heidenheim seem to be getting back to their former strength as the season enters the final straight. In the last few games, the team have presented themselves as a cohesive, well-balanced unit again. The performances have been impressive in terms of running, fight and tactics, and they've been more efficient with their chances. The "own sensitivities" of individual players, which Schmidt recently criticised, have once again taken a back seat in favour of the team spirit. That's certainly not to say that individual quality is not appreciated in the Ostalb. Zivzivadze is a good example of that. The striker appears to have arrived in Heidenheim, following up his first, delightful goal to level the score at Hoffenheim with his second effort against Kiel a week later. And the Georgian's interplay with strike partner Pieringer is working better all the time. "Budu is someone who - similar to Tim Kleindienst - does a huge amount of running and works hard for the team," said defender Marnon Busch. That's exactly the type of player Heidenheim could do with in the battle to stay up.