RB Leipzig will look to further strengthen their prospects of clinching a top-four finish in the Bundesliga when they head to Voith-Arena to take on Heidenheim on Saturday afternoon.
After clinching promotion to the Bundesliga last season, Heidenheim have enjoyed an extremely impressive campaign as they head into the final five games of the season sitting firmly in the middle of the table, with RB Leipzig their next opponents.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last three games after drawing 3-3 with VfB Stuttgart, beating Bayern Munich 3-2, and drawing 1-1 with VfL Bochum. Meanwhile, RB Leipzig are battling it out with Borussia Dortmund for a top-four spot.
But there is a chance now that both teams will get UEFA Champions League qualification as a result of the expanded tournament giving the best two performing nations an extra spot based on their coefficient rating from the previous season.
Since going down 2-1 away to Bayern on February 24, Leipzig have strung together a solid run of form, accumulating 16 points out of a possible 18 to boost their chances of passing Borussia Dortmund for fourth place in the Bundesliga. Die Roten Bullen followed up an impressive 4-1 away win over Freiburg with a convincing 3-0 home victory against VfL Wolfsburg last weekend.
Team News & Tactics
FC Heidenheim
Heidenheim will be unable to call upon the services of Thomas Keller and Elidon Qenaj as they continue their respective recovery from knee injuries. Meanwhile, Adrian Beck has been listed as questionable with an ankle problem.
Head coach Frank Schmidt consistently relies on a 4-3-3 system, which he usually only varies slightly. He could use a 4-2-3-1 formation if needed to match the intensity of Leipzig’s double-pivot. Schmidt has only deviated from the four-man defence in one game this season. So a back-four of Omar Traore, Patrick Mainka, Benedikt Gimber, and Jonas Fohrenbach should stay intact.
Kevin Sessa could continue in an attacking midfield role ahead of Lennard Maloney and Jan Schoppner. Tim Kleindienst has netted a team-high 11 goals so far this season, and he is set to be supported in attack by capable goal-scoring wide forwards Eren Dinkci and Jan-Niklas Beste, who have chipped in with 18 goals and 14 assists combined between them thus far.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muller; Traore, Mainka, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Maloney; Dinkci, Sessa, Beste; Kleindienst
RB Leipzig
Yussuf Poulsen remains their only injury absentee, as he continues to recuperate from a hamstring issue, while Kevin Kampl (sickness) will be assessed late before starting. David Raum is back in contention after serving a one-match suspension and is set to start at left-back, with Benjamin Henrichs moving over to right-back and Mohamed Simakan set to be relegated to the bench.
Willi Orban will partner Castello Lukeba at the heart of the defence. Janis Blaswich will take his spot between the sticks, with RB Leipzig lining up in a 4-2-2-2/ 4-4-2 formation in front of him against Heidenheim.
As for the midfield unit, Xaver Schlager and Amadou Haidara will hold the fort in the middle of the park. The duo’s mortar presence will liberate Xavi Simons and Dani Olmo, who will supply the final balls to the strikers while fancying direct shots at goal themselves.
Benjamin Sesko managed to score in each of his last two Bundesliga appearances. So, the Slovenian is set to keep his starting place in attack here alongside talismanic striker Lois Openda.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Gulacsi; Henrichs, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Olmo, Haidara, Schlager, Simons; Openda, Sesko
Key Stats
- RB Leipzig have won five of their last six Bundesliga games.
- Heidenheim have seen under 2.5 goals in their last three home matches against RB Leipzig across all competitions.
- Heidenheim average 1.4 goals per match to rank 10th in the Bundesliga, while RB Leipzig concedes 1.1 per game.
- RB Leipzig put up 2.3 goals per game to rank third in the Bundesliga, while 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 gives up 1.7 per game to rank 11th.
- RB Leipzig have won five and drawn one of their last six Bundesliga fixtures.
- Eight of Heidenheim’s last nine Bundesliga assignments featured goals at both ends.
Player to Watch
Lois Openda
Openda was unusually quiet for most of the contest against Wolfsburg, but then things changed for him in the 82nd minute, when he perfectly shielded the ball from the defender and then turned around to seal the 3-0 win with a clinical finish.
The Belgian striker has been in excellent goalscoring form in his first year in Germany, with 22 goals over 29 appearances, including five over the last four games. It is tough to see that goal-scoring streak stopping here.
Prediction
FC Heidenheim 2-3 RB Leipzig
Heidenheim have shown several times this season that they are not afraid of big names. In the last home game two weeks ago, Bayern Munich were beaten 3-2 after taking a two-goal lead. FCH also beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 in front of their home fans in the first half of the season.
So this should be no cakewalk for RB Leipzig because Heidenheim are not an easy opponent. Both teams have looked effective in front of goal in recent weeks, so a goal-fest could be in the offing this Saturday. Even so, Leipzig are the form team in the division, and we back them to get the job done to maintain their push for a Champions League spot.
