Desperate to climb up from the bottom Bundesliga According to the table, Heidenheim will face a tough battle on Sunday when they face Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

BVB will be hoping to bounce back strongly from their last European defeat, while FCH will simply want to avoid further defeats.

match preview

Dortmund, led by Niko Kovac, Lost 0-2 to Inter Milan in champions league This means they have lost two of their last three games. Lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur January 20th.

But sandwiched between the continental disappointments 3-0 victory over Union BerlinWith this result, BVB’s Bundesliga unbeaten streak was extended to 12 games.

Kovac’s side, looking to resume their domestic form, head into the weekend in second place with 42 points, eight behind leaders Bayern Munich and just three behind third-placed Hoffenheim.

Christian Ilzer’s surprise entry into the top four is currently the most in-form club in Germany’s top flight, and the result is no surprise. Die Kreichgauer closed the gap with another win.

That said, Dortmund will be confident going in front of Hoffenheim, given they are unbeaten in the league at Signal Iduna Park this season and have won their last four home games in the division on the bounce, keeping three clean sheets in the process.

Meanwhile, Frank Schmidt’s Heidenheim survived by winning the Bundesliga relegation play-off in the 2024-25 season, but their recent form suggests that automatic relegation is a possibility this time around.

FCH was inspired to revitalize their campaign by 2-1 victory over Union and Same score as Freiburg The club lost in late November and early December respectively, but since then the club has only avoided defeat in two of their six games.

In that dejected run, Lost 3-0 against RB Leipzig Last Saturday, Schmidt’s side sank to the bottom of the table with just 13 points, but now they are five points from danger and just two points behind play-off places Mainz 05.

Falling further behind their rivals at this stage could spell disaster for the visiting side, but given that Heidenheim have lost all but two of their away league games this season, winning just one, traveling fans will fear the worst.

Adding to their concerns, no team in the league has conceded more goals than FCH, and no team has scored fewer goals. It’s a particularly troubling fact given that Dortmund maintain the most clean sheets in the division (10) and have scored 12 goals in their last four domestic matches.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

team news

Dortmund will have a relatively healthy squad to choose from this weekend, although centre-back Waldemar Anton is doubtful to feature due to illness.

If he is unavailable, Kovac could opt for a defensive trio of Emre Can, Ramy Bensebaini and Nico Schlotterbeck, flanked by wing-backs Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson.

There are also doubts over the fitness of versatile midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who is looking to play due to a calf injury, but Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmeka should still be able to start in the center of the park.

Heidenheim will once again be without striker Budou Zivzivadze and fellow forward Christian Conte as they near their return from a knee injury, while centre-forward Mikkel Kaufmann is doubtful due to illness.

In his absence, Marvin Pieringer will start up front, with Alikhon Ibrahimovic and Matthias Honsak providing support from the flanks and Adrian Beck in the attacking midfield position.

On the other side of the pitch, centre-back Benedict Gimbar is suspended (yellow card), while Adam Colle has a muscle injury and left-back Leato Pacalada is out for the season, so Patrik Mainka and Tim Sielsleben are expected to be in the heart of defence, with Jonas Vollenbach at left-back.

Expected starting lineup for Borussia Dortmund:

Corbel. Kang, Schlotterbeck, and Bensebeini. Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmeka, Svensson. Beyer, Brandt. Girashi

Heidenheim’s expected starting lineup:

Ramage; Busch, Mainka, Schielsleben, Vollenbach. Schopner, Dorsch. Ibrahimovic, Beck, Honsaku. Pierringer

We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Heidenheim

Dortmund may have struggled in Europe recently, but they have been doing well domestically this season, going unbeaten at home so far.

Heidenheim have the worst defensive record in the Bundesliga and also have one of the sluggish attacks, so it wouldn’t be surprising if BVB won by a huge margin on Sunday.

Click here for data analysis including the most likely outcome, scoreline and more for this match.