Borussia Dortmund and FC Heidenheim will aim to continue their unbeaten starts to the 2024/25 season when they face off at Signal Iduna Park on Friday.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga season resumes after the international break, with the latest round of fixtures beginning with a game between two unbeaten teams. Borussia Dortmund and FC Heidenheim will lock horns at Signal Iduna Park on Friday evening, with the visitors winning both their matches thus far, while the Black and Yellows have won one and drawn one.
Borussia Dortmund began the 2024/25 season with a comfortable 4-1 win over Phonix Lubeck in the DFB Pokal first round. The Black and Yellows kick-started their Bundesliga campaign with a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt before playing out a goalless stalemate with Werder Bremen.
As for Heidenheim, they have been busy at the onset of the 2024/25 season, playing five games in around two weeks before the international break. They came into the new term after an impressive debut campaign in the Bundesliga, where they finished eighth and reached the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying playoffs.
Frank Schmidt continues to wield the magic wand, with Heidenheim not conceding a single goal thus far in domestic competitions, beating FC 08 Villingen in the first round of the DFB Pokal before clinching victories over FC St. Pauli and FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga. They have also reached the Europa Conference League group stage.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Heidenheim coming from two goals down to hold Borussia Dortmund to a 2-2 draw, with Tim Kleindienst scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Nuri Sahin has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against FC Heidenheim on Friday, the Borussia Dortmund manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
Nico Schlotterbeck saw red in the goalless draw with Werder Bremen before the international break and will miss Friday’s game due to suspension. In addition, Giovanni Reyna is recovering from a groin injury, while Kjell Watjen has a knee issue.
Gregor Kobel is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Borussia Dortmund lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him against FC Heidenheim. The central defensive unit should feature Waldemar Anton, Niklas Sule, and Ramy Bensebaini. Yan Couto and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens should be the two wing-backs.
The duo will aim to provide width in the final third while protecting the centre-backs in the defensive phases. As for the midfield unit, Emre Can and Pascal Gross will shore things up in the middle of the park, while Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt will bring the creative impetus. Finally, Serhou Guirassy should lead the line for the home side against Heidenheim.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Anton, Sule, Bensebaini; Couto, Can, Gross, Bynoe-Gittens; Sabitzer, Brandt; Guirassy
FC Heidenheim
Like his counterpart in the Borussia Dortmund dugout, Frank Schmidt has a few injury concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to Signal Iduna Park. The Heidenheim manager will be without four first-team players on Friday.
Frank Feller, Thomas Keller, and Julian Niehues are on the sidelines due to their respective knee injuries. Meanwhile, Denis Thomalla is unavailable due to an illness.
Kevin Muller should take his spot between the sticks, with Heidenheim lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Borussia Dortmund. The backline should feature Omar Traore, Jonas Fohrenbach, Benedikt Gimber, and captain Patrick Manika.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Lennar Maloney and Jan Schoppner in the double pivot. The in-form Paul Wanner will reprise the no. 10 role, with Adrian Beck and Leo Scienza being the two wide attackers. Finally, Marvin Pieringer will spearhead the Heidenheim attack against Dortmund on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muller; Traore, Manika, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Maloney, Schoppner; Beck, Wanner, Scienza; Pieringer
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund and FC Heidenheim played out two stalemates in their two meetings in the 2023/24 season. The corresponding fixture ended in a 2-2 draw.
- Borussia Dortmund and Heidenheim are the only teams yet to concede a goal in the Bundesliga this season.
- Borussia Dortmund have won their last three Bundesliga home games while not losing at the Signal Iduna Park in a Friday night match since January 2004 (1-0 vs FC Schalke).
- Heidenheim are unbeaten in their last nine competitive fixtures (W7 D2), including wins in all five games this season.
- FC Heidenheim have not lost away from home since March in Augsburg, their sole defeat in 12 games on the road in 2024.
Player to Watch
Paul Wanner
Serhou Guirassy was a contender for this section ahead of his Bundesliga debut for Borussia Dortmund. However, we have picked Paul Wanner due to his incredible form thus far in the 2024/25 season.
Wanner has scored in all four of his outings this season (four goals). No Bundesliga player has found the back of the net across all competitions more than him in the 2024/25 campaign thus far (teammate Max Breunig and Andrej Kramaric also have four). If he continues his streak, FC Heidenheim should be in contention to take something from the game against Borussia Dortmund.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 FC Heidenheim
The visitors have been the surprise package in the early days of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. On the other hand, the home side might feel they should be alongside the table-toppers at the top of the table. However, considering Borussia Dortmund and FC Heidenheim have not let in a single goal in the top flight this term, a closely contested affair is on the cards.
The same pattern from the 2023/24 season should ensue, with the game between Borussia Dortmund and FC Heidenheim going down the wire. So, Signal Iduna Park should witness a third successive stalemate between the two teams, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 1-1 draw.
