Heidenheim before Leverkusen duel: Hope for the first point!

Heidenheim before Leverkusen duel: Hope for the first point!

On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. 1. FC Heidenheim has a hot duel against Bayer Leverkusen on the agenda. Coach Frank Schmidt commented on the game and emphasized that his team is heading into the match with confidence despite their previous negative experiences against the Werkself. So far, Heidenheim has not been able to get a single point in four Bundesliga duels against Leverkusen. The memories of the last games are not very pleasant: away there was a 1:4 and a 2:5 defeat, while the home opponents triumphed with 0:1 and 1:2. Only in 2019, in the DFB Cup, did a 2-1 win bring a ray of hope for Heidenheim. Schwäbische.de reports that Schmidt is critical of the unequal financial situation between the two clubs, but despite his team's current bottom-of-the-table standings with just five points, he also sees a positive trend.

Heidenheim hasn't lost its last three home games, which should give the team new courage. Schmidt demands a lot of will from his players, passion on defense and courage on offense. A solid performance against Leverkusen could turn things around - the team concentrated intensively on the last games against Paderborn and Freiburg in order to learn from their game analysis. Schmidt compares the current challenge with the encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt, where Heidenheim also had a negative record, and fuels hopes of staying in the league.

Leverkusen: Strong offense, combative defense

In contrast, Bayer Leverkusen has shown a clearly positive development in the last few weeks. After a bitter 3-0 defeat against Bayern Munich, they responded strongly and won a Champions League game 1-0 against Benfica on Wednesday. They are on a solid course in the Bundesliga with 17 points from nine games and have picked up three wins in their last four games, making them the best attackers in the league. With just two defeats this season, they are in good form, but the coaching team continues to be challenged with several key players such as Ezequiel Fernández, Exequiel Palacios, Axel Tapé and Nathan Tella missing due to injury. Yahoo Sports explains Leverkusen's bad luck with injuries and the predicted formation in an offensive 3-4-2-1 system.

Heidenheim's coach knows the challenge that Leverkusen represents and is preparing his team for a strong offensive. Even though the team is currently struggling with one of the worst defensive performances in the league, Schmidt remains optimistic: “We are prepared, even if we know that Leverkusen will act offensively.” The game will show whether 1. FC Heidenheim can take an important step in the right direction in the relegation battle or whether Leverkusen can demonstrate their dominance again.