Bundesliga | Gameweek 24

Mar 1, 2025 at 2.30pm UK

Voith-Arena

Heidenheim vs Borussia M'bach

Match preview

Had Heidenheim been offered a point away at RB Leipzig prior to the start of the 23rd round of matches, the second-bottom side would have claimed a draw to end a five-game losing streak.

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 been galling.

As 15th-placed St. Pauli fell to a third successive defeat, Heidenheim missed out on the opportunity to move four points clear of the club directly above them in the 24th round of the Bundesliga season.

Despite the disappointment of squandering a two-goal lead away from home, Schmidt's men will be looking to bounce back from last week's setback to end a three-game losing streak in front of their home fans and record a first home win in four matches.

It would be a third win for the third-bottom side on their home turf in the 2024/25 season, and while maximum points will not take them out of the relegation play-offs, it will allow Schmidt's side to keep 17th-placed Bochum at bay for another week, or even to go above them if they lose to Hoffenheim.

Gladbach, meanwhile, will be hoping to inflict a ninth home defeat on the club with the worst home record in the top flight.

Jonas Omlin's 28th-minute dismissal put Gerardo Seoane's men on the back foot, and Alexis Claude-Maurice's second-half hat-trick saw the European contenders hammered 3-0 by Augsburg on their home turf last time out, ending a four-game run in which they had collected 10 points from a possible 12.

As a result of that disappointment, ninth-placed Gladbach were unable to capitalise on the fact that sixth-placed Leipzig, seventh-placed Stuttgart and eighth-placed Wolfsburg all drew in the previous round, and the Fohlen will be looking for a third successive away win to restore some positivity in the race for a top-six finish after their recent setback.

The travelling fans should be optimistic about their side's form heading into the weekend, with the Fohlen sitting third in the table after taking 10 points from 15 in the last five rounds, behind only Bayern Munich (13) and Freiburg (12).

However, Gladbach's prospects in the Bundesliga could be undermined by a lack of clean sheets - they have kept just one clean sheet in 12 top-flight games and have failed to keep one in four.

Recent Performance

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:LLLLLD

Heidenheim form (all competitions):LLWLLD

Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga form:LWWDWL

Team News

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 all expected to miss out.

Marvin Pieringer scored for the first time since November to take his tally to five Bundesliga goals, one more than Mathias Honsak, and Heidenheim's top scorer will be looking to make it two in a row.

Omlin's suspension means Seoane will be forced to make a change between the sticks, with Tobias Sippel likely to deputise for his first Bundesliga start since the 3-0 defeat at Leipzig in March.

Franck Honorat (ankle), Moritz Nicolas (groin) and Rocco Reitz (toe) are also out through injury.

Tim Kleindienst scored a brace against his former club in the reverse fixture - a 3-2 win at Gladbach - and the 14-goal striker will be looking to add to his tally of seven away goals this weekend; he has scored four match-winners this season - only Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (seven) and Mainz 05's Jonathan Burkardt (six) have more.

Possible starting lineup

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