Heidenheim vs. Holstein Kiel preview: A relegation six-pointer
| Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images |
Heidenheim
Heidenheim are languishing at the foot of the Bundesliga table after failing to win any of their last nine Bundesliga matches. Frank Schmidt’s side have drawn just three of those nine matches, including a 1-1 scoreline in last Sunday’s away clash with Hoffenheim. Budu Zivzivadze netted a second-half equaliser to ensure his side left the PreZero Arena with a point, although the result extended their winless away run to 10 Bundesliga matches (D3, L7).
With nine matches left to play, Heidenheim are sitting four points adrift of the relegation playoff spot, while they are nine points adrift of safety altogether. They will now return to the Voith-Arena, where they have lost four consecutive matches since beating Union Berlin 2-0 on January 11.
However, Heidenheim can take confidence from the fact they have won each of their last four home league games against Kiel, including a 3-0 victory in their most recent home encounter in April 2023.
Team News
The hosts are without the services of Julian Niehues, who is set to miss a third straight game with a muscle injury.
Holstein Kiel
Kiel are sitting just one point above Heidenheim after winning four, drawing five and losing 16 of their 25 league matches. They would have been pleased to take four points from their last two Bundesliga outings. Marcel Rapp’s side claimed a 1-0 win over Union Berlin in their most recent away game, before they played out a 2-2 draw against Stuttgart last weekend thanks to a Steven Skrzybski brace.
While they took a point off Stuttgart, Kiel have now conceded 61 goals in 25 league games this season - eight more than any other team in the top flight. They will know they need to improve defensively if they are to close the three-point gap to the relegation playoff spot and the eight-point gap to safety.
They will now head on their travels with hopes of claiming their first away win over Heidenheim since October 2017. The visitors are looking to complete a league double over Sunday’s opponents after winning 1-0 in November’s reverse fixture.
Team News
The visitors are unable to call upon Colin Kleine-Bekel, Ivan Nekic, Max Geschwill, Andu Kelati and Patrick Erras.
