Will the league leaders stop Heidenheim’s unbeaten streak?

When the financially very well-positioned upstart RB Leipzig entered the Bundesliga in 2016/17, it quickly became clear that the central city team would have nothing to do with relegation. Quite the opposite. In their debut season, the Saxons immediately finished second in the final standings and went 13 (!) league games unbeaten in a row. Seven years later, a small Gallic village called Heidenheim is preparing to follow in the giant footsteps of the current Champions League round of 16 finalists and multiple DFB Cup winners

The debutants from the Ostalb have now not lost in eight league games. Coach Frank Schmidt’s team last lost in the German top flight at the beginning of December. Two-and-a-half months later, however, the promoted team’s impressive run is in danger of coming to an end. On Saturday afternoon, the in-form team in ninth place in the table will face the unshakeable industry leaders from the city of medicine. After last weekend’s performance between Heidenheim and Leverkusen, all predictions are pointing in the direction of the Rhinelanders, who will not want to relinquish their comfortable starting position in the race for the championship trophy.

Traditionally, however, a supposedly easier task harbors a lot of potential danger, especially after a highlight victory such as the 3:0 at home against the record champions from Munich last Saturday. However, because Florian Wirtz and Co. continue to play like stars from heaven, have not suffered a single defeat in all competitions over the entire season and can also draw almost from the full again in terms of personnel, it seems to be the less risky solution to place a bet on coach Xabi Alonso’s team between Heidenheim and Leverkusen

Heidenheim – Statistics & current form

Week after week, new superlatives are needed to describe 1. FC Heidenheim’s season in writing. After four consecutive points draws, including against Borussia Dortmund (0:0), the footballers from the Ostalb impressively returned to winning ways last Saturday and spoiled Werder Bremen’s pompous 125th anniversary celebrations with a 2:1 away win on the Weser. Now on 27 points and in ninth place in the interim standings, it would have to be a case of the proverbial “devil take the hindmost” if last year’s Bundesliga 2 champions were to slip into the deep relegation mess in the top flight after all.

However, if 1. FCH manage to build on the remarkable performances of recent weeks, even striving for the maximum, i.e. qualifying for international business for the first time, does not appear to be a utopian dream. As already mentioned, Heidenheim have not lost any of their last eight Bundesliga games and have collected 16 out of a possible 24 points in the process. However, the likelihood of them picking up another tangible result on Saturday is limited. In the three-way market, odds of almost 6.00 are being offered between Heidenheim and Leverkusen if the score is shared after 90 minutes

Will 1st FCH’s belief in their own strength be their undoing?

With all due respect to the Schmidt team, it should not be forgotten that they have not managed to pick up points against some of the top teams this season. FCH lost the first leg against Leverkusen 4-1, went down 4-2 against Bayern and also lost 2-1 to RB Leipzig. BVB were not even close to top form in either of their head-to-head encounters (2-2, 0-0) and VfB Stuttgart should also have left the pitch as winners in their 2-0 defeat at the Voith Arena had they made better use of their chances.

If we take these cross-comparisons as a yardstick and additionally argue that the men from the Brenz have already conceded 36 goals, the prediction of a handicap victory for the visitors gains in significance for the Heidenheim vs. Particularly in view of the fact that the self-confident underdogs will not be sitting back and trying to make their own mark. From a subjective point of view, the Werkself should have fewer problems with an opponent who plays along with them than with an opponent who focuses exclusively on defense.

Predicted line-up for Heidenheim:

Leverkusen – Statistics & current form

With 55 points after 21 matchdays, Bayer Leverkusen are playing the best Bundesliga season in the club’s history to date. Only Bayern (2013/14 and 2015/16) had more points at the same point in time – historically speaking – than the current Werkself. The tide has also turned since the previous week in terms of their chances of lifting the trophy. While the bookmakers were previously cautious in putting the Rhinelanders in the role of favorites, the lowest odds on the championship are now being offered for the Alonso team ahead of Saturday’s match between Heidenheim and Leverkusen.

No wonder, because with 31 unbeaten competitive games this season, of which a whopping 27 (!) have been won, there is currently no fantasy that the Werkself could suddenly collapse. The team has been too consistent, too stable and mature in the style of play that the former Spanish professional has instilled in his charges in recent months. Incidentally, if Bayer remain unbeaten again on Saturday, they would equal the record of unbeaten Bayern in 32 consecutive games under Hansi Flick (2019-2020).

Leverkusen are the measure of all things in all respects

One of the outstanding players at Bayer 04 Leverkusen this season is, of course, Florian Wirtz. After 21 matchdays, the 20-year-old has five goals and eight assists to his name. In almost every Bundesliga match, the mega-talent has created great scoring opportunities, but has not yet been able to make effective use of them. Nevertheless, we think the odds on the highly sought-after midfielder scoring a goal this weekend are far too high

Somewhat too little attention is being paid to the defense in the course of the sensational series. 14 goals conceded is by far the best figure in the German top flight. The Bundesliga leaders have kept a clean sheet in six of their last seven matches alone. Leverkusen have conceded an average of just eight shots per game (1st place). By comparison, Heidenheim have faced 16 shots on goal from their opponents (17th).

Standard situations could also be decisive on Saturday afternoon in the Voith Arena. Here too, the Werkself are the top scorers in the top flight of German soccer with 15 goals from set-pieces. Heidenheim have also scored 14 goals thanks to the magic foot of Jan-Niklas Beste, but have also conceded 14 goals from free kicks, corners and penalties. Since the Rhinelanders neutralize the opponent’s most pronounced strength and can also rely on a very strong back line, we are predicting an away win between Heidenheim and Leverkusen with at least a two-goal difference.

Predicted Leverkusen line-up:

Heidenheim – Leverkusen head-to-head comparison / H2H result

The direct comparison of these clubs is quickly dealt with. The first meeting in the 2018/19 DFB Cup went 2:1 to the then second-division club from Heidenheim. However, the first Bundesliga match in the first half of the current season ended 4:1 for the Werkself, who were 1:0 ahead at half-time and added three more goals after the equalizer in between. We can also well imagine the double result HT2/FT2 for the upcoming match

Heidenheim – Leverkusen betting tip

If you had bet before the season that Heidenheim and Leverkusen would face each other in ninth and first place in the Bundesliga on matchday 22, you would probably have struck it rich with a corresponding bet. However, those who would have expected both teams to go into this head-to-head clash with eight and 21 consecutive league games without defeat respectively would probably have questioned their sanity.

In fact, two of the most in-form teams in the German top flight will meet on Saturday afternoon. However, the visitors from the Rhineland clearly have the advantage, having won 27 of their 31 competitive matches so far this season, dismantling Bayern 3-0 the previous week and keeping a clean sheet in six of their last seven league matches. FCH 1, on the other hand, are rightly being celebrated, but are likely to reach their own limits against such an accomplished and qualitatively superior opponent. We therefore rule out a surprise coup. Similar to the bookmakers, who are offering betting odds of 8.70 on a home win between Heidenheim and Leverkusen.

With our Heidenheim vs. Leverkusen betting tip, we take a little more risk – also due to the one-sided odds distribution – and combine the double result HT2/FT2 with the handicap (-1).