Borussia Dortmund will be eager to bounce back from their European defeat as they take on bottom-placed Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.
Niko Kovac would have liked his side to respond to adversity on the European front, but they suffered back-to-back defeats in the UEFA Champions League. The response is now expected on their Bundesliga trails, as Borussia Dortmund take on bottom-placed Heidenheim at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.
Defeats to Tottenham and then Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League may have hurt their chances of finishing higher up. But at the moment, Kovac will be content with a playoff spot. Over in the Bundesliga, Dortmund closed the gap to Bayern Munich to eight points following the latter’s defeat to FC Augsburg last weekend.
Meanwhile, Dortmund put in a dominant performance in the 3-0 win over Union Berlin, and now Kovac will want the team to keep moving forward. Comparing their European form to that in the Bundesliga, the Black and Yellows are now on an unbeaten run of 12 games in the league, and Kovac will want to continue on their form and eventually consolidate second spot in the table.
Meanwhile, visitors FC Heidenheim are the basement club in the Bundesliga and remain desperate to climb out of their misery. Frank Schmidt’s charges survived the relegation ordeal in the 2024/25 campaign by winning the relegation playoff, but their recent form has shown plenty of evidence that they could be the favourites to go down this term.
Big victories over Union Berlin and SC Freiburg back in November did bring some level of hope for the relegation-threatened side. However, they have since avoided defeats in only two of their next six games in the league.
Heidenheim are in a precarious position, but they are not too far off from safety as things stand. Only two points separate them from a playoff berth, and five points from the nearest safety position. While they desire to climb up the table, the visit to Signal Iduna Park will be a daunting prospect, and unlikely to bring any hope as things stand at the weekend.
Team News & Tactics
Borussia Dortmund
Niko Kovac continues to have a strong squad at his disposal as the team continues to juggle between domestic and European commitments. There are a few doubts, though, with the fitness of Marcel Sabitzer, while defender Waldemar Anton is a doubt due to illness.
In the latter’s potential absence, Kovac could utilise midfielder Emre Can in a defensive role, as he has often slotted in the back three on multiple occasions this season and previously. Ramy Bensebaini and Nico Schlotterbeck will form part of the backline, with Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson stationed in the wing-back roles on either flank.
While Sabitzer works his way back into contention from a recent injury, Kovac might rely on Jobe Bellingham and the in-demand Felix Nmecha to control the midfield setup for Borussia Dortmund against FC Heidenheim this weekend.
Julian Brandt could be preferred for a role in the attacking areas, while Maximilian Beier is also expected to feature there. Finally, Serhou Guirassy will lead the line for Borussia Dortmund against FC Heidenheim at the weekend.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Beier, Brandt; Guirassy
FC Heidenheim
Heidenheim boss Frank Schmidt may have to deal with a few key injury issues, as they will travel to Signal Iduna Park to take on Borussia Dortmund without striker Budu Zivzivadze and another forward, Christian Conteh, as the duo are yet to return from their respective knee issues, but remain close to making a comeback.
There is another issue with the forward areas, as Mikkel Kaufmann is a big doubt with an illness, although he could be assessed late on to determine his participation in the game. Furthermore, centre-back Benedikt Gimber will miss out with a suspension owing to the yellow cards accumulated this term, while Adam Kolle is dealing with a muscle issue.
Left-back Leart Paqarada is out for the season, and Schmidt will look to use Patrick Mainka and Tim Siersleben in the central roles for this clash, with Jonas Fohrenbach in the left-back role.
In the attacking third, given the host of absentees, the FC Heidenheim manager will use Marvin Pieringer in the leading role against Borussia Dortmund, with Arijon Ibrahimovic and Mathias Honsak from the wide areas, while Adrian Beck will cover the attacking midfield role.
Probabel Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ramaj; Busch, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Dorsch; Ibrahimovic, Beck, Honsak; Pieringer
Key Stats
- Borussia Dortmund are unbeaten in 12 Bundesliga games.
- Borussia Dortmund have scored at least three goals in their last four matches in the Bundesliga.
- FC Heidenheim are winless in their last five Bundesliga games.
- Heidenheim have scored the fewest and conceded the most goals in the Bundesliga this season.
- Only promoted Hamburger SV (three) have picked up fewer points than Heidenheim (four) on the road this season.
Player to Watch
Serhou Guirassy
The Guinean striker has not reached the heights of previous campaigns in Germany, as he is currently struggling for goals in the Bundesliga. For context, he started the season bang in form, scoring four goals in his first three games, but has since scored only twice in the 15 subsequent matches in the league.
There is a lot to be desired from a striker of Guirassy’s quality, and Kovac will know his return to form will be crucial to how Dortmund’s season pans out. For now, this game against bottom-placed Hendenheim could be a good opportunity for the former VfB Stuttgart striker to find his scoring boots again, as a goal or two will certainly help boost his confidence.
Prediction
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 FC Heidenheim
Having gone five games without a win, Heidenheim are staring at extending that run into a sixth match, as they travel to Signal Iduna Park. The bottom-placed side have scored the fewest strikes and conceded the most goals in the Bundesliga this season, and they are expected to continue that trend given they are missing a host of their key players for this visit.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund may not have got a better fixture to bounce back from their European defeat earlier this week, as they could put in another dominant performance in the Bundesliga. Niko Kovac’s men are expected to comprehensively defeat Heidenheim on Sunday to extend their unbeaten league run to 13 games.
