Heidenheim-Borussia Dortmund is a match valid for the 20th day of the Bundesliga and is played on Friday at 8:30pm: TV, likely lineups, predictions.
Borussia Dortmund got off to a great start again after the Christmas break and thanks to three wins in a row against Darmstadt, Cologne and Bochum – a schedule, in truth, far from prohibitive – they regained fourth place, overtaking (and pulling away, as they are now three points ahead) Leipzig. The yellow-and-whites remain, in any case, a long way from the top, and to get back into the title race, which at the moment is confined to Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich alone, they will need to be practically perfect in the return leg.
In the meantime, Edin Terzic, Borussia Dortmund’s coach, is enjoying an attack that has suddenly got back on track and scoring with some consistency – 10 goals in total in the last three games – revitalized also by the arrival of Jadon Sancho. The English outfielder has been the club’s main acquisition in the upcoming market session: the air of Dortmund, where he grew up and established himself as a player before moving to Manchester United in the summer of 2022, has done him good. And he immediately repaid the coach’s trust, tallying an assist and consistently being among the best on the pitch.
Heidenheim hasn’t lost in six games
In the advance of the 20th day, Dortmund will pay a visit to the newly promoted Heidenheim, a team that has surprised everyone so far and that in the standings is closer to the European zone than to the relegation zone.
Frank Schmidt’s men have fared well beyond expectations, thanks in part to the outburst they have had since December: Heidenheim have not lost for six days, in which they recorded three wins and three draws, and since November their only defeats have been against Bayern Munich and Leipzig. Against Borussia they will be without Keller and Qenaj, while on the other side Terzic will find Brandt and Reus again but must still do without Haller – engaged in the African Cup of Nations – Kobel, Adeyemi and Nmecha.
The prediction
Not everything will run smoothly in the Heidenheim trip for Borussia Dortmund. The yellow-and-whites are back on a roll and should eventually come out on top, but they will be up against a team that has won the bulk of its points (17 of 23) in front of its home crowd and hasn’t lost at home in five games. The total goals could be at least three.
The likely lineups for Heidenheim-Borussia Dortmund
HEIDENHEIM (4-2-3-1): Müller; Traoré, Mainka, Siersleben, Föhrenbach; Maloney, Schöppner; Dinkçi, Beck, Beste; Kleindienst.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-2-3-1): Meyer; Meunier, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Özcan; Malen, Brandt, Sancho; Füllkrug.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
