Heidenheim an der Brenz in southern Germany has not traditionally been on the list of football groundhoppers' away days. It's not that the hilly Ostalb region is unattractive -- far from it. It's more that getting to this community of 50,000 represents a bigger challenge than usual on public transport. And if you come by car, you're well aware on the roads coming in from, say, Stuttgart or Ulm of being very much auf dem Lande (in the countryside).
Heidenheim's remarkable ascent to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2023 has certainly added considerable neutral interest in attending a game at the foot of Hellenstein Mountain, but good luck getting your hands on a ticket for a match at the intimate Voith-Arena with its capacity of just 15,000.
If champions Bayer Leverkusen were die Unbesiegbaren (the unbeatables) last season, Heidenheim became die Unbeugsamen (the unshakables) and kitted themselves out with appropriate words on specially made T-shirts at the end of a maiden top-flight campaign that saw them defy the odds by qualifying for Europe. Gemeinsam unkaputtbar means together indestructible.
BUNDESLIGA-KLASSENERHALT 2023/24 - GEMEINSAM UNKAPUTTBAR! đ€©đŽđ” #NurDerFCH pic.twitter.com/6QJXMal7Nm
In August, Heidenheim overcame Swedish club BK HĂ€cken to reach the UEFA Conference League proper. Now the adventure of a community club that has already reached unprecedented highs of emotion will hit an even loftier peak. Chelsea, for example, will travel to the Brenzstadt on Nov. 28.
For a club that didn't even play 3. Liga football until 2009, how has this rise been possible? Is it down to money? Not particularly. Yes, there is financial support from the Voith machinery company based in the region, but not on the scale that one would associate with the kind of jaw-dropping progress Heidenheim have made.
They pride themselves on two key concepts: kontinuitÀt (continuity) and beharrlichkeit (persistence.) Both qualities are best embodied by Frank Schmidt, coach of the club since 2007 -- yes, 2007! -- and thus the longest-serving manager at any one club in the German professional game.
The immensely likeable Schmidt, born in Heidenheim, where he ended his playing career, personifies the region like no one else. Someday he plans to open a tapas bar with a close friend, but for now his priority continues to be serving the grateful locals with hearty, meaty, substantial football fare.
Heidenheim keep things simple by signing mostly German players with a smattering of a few Austrians from across the border. Why? So as not to have multiple squad members who need time to adapt to their new surroundings. They also work to a tighter budget than most, and in the absence of a sophisticated international scouting system, knowledge of the local market tops all.
Heidenheim are the early Bundesliga pace setters, but I must confess, I wouldn't have put money on that just a few short weeks ago. This was, after all, a summer of umbruch (radical upheaval.) It was always going to be thus after losing their best three players from last term: Jan-Niklas Beste, Tim Kleindienst and Eren Dinkci.
The club took in around âŹ15 million in fees from the Beste and Kleindienst transfers, but it was perhaps reasonable to doubt whether they could adequately replace them. What they've done, clearly with the dreifachbelastung (burden of competing on three fronts) in mind, is to deepen the squad without breaking the bank. The return of central midfielder Niklas Dorsch, four years after the former Germany youth international left the club, is a coup, while in 18-year-old Paul Wanner, on loan from Bayern Munich, Heidenheim now have one of the most exciting talents in German football playing for them. Naturally left footed, Wanner has excelled so far as playmaker-in-chief.
Then there is the dynamic Brazilian LĂ©o Scienza, an exception to their German/Austrian signing policy but with the important caveat that he has already spent four years in the Bundesrepublik with Schalke, Magdeburg and spectacularly last season with nearby SSV Ulm, the 3. Liga champions for whom he scored 12 times.
Important, too, is that the spine remains intact. Goalkeeper Kevin MĂŒller has been at the club since 2015 and was among the best custodians in the league last time around. Captain Patrick Mainka and defensive midfield specialist Lennard Maloney, a Berlin-born United States international, give stability in front of MĂŒller. Both will be especially highly motivated on Friday's visit to the Westfalenstadion as former Borussia Dortmund players.
Benedikt Gimber, beside Mainka, proved his worth in the last campaign after taking Tim Siersleben's place.
It's still fair enough to wonder if Wanner, Adrian Beck and Marvin Pieringer can ultimately be to Heidenheim what Beste and Kleindienst represented in terms of attacking production. So far, though, the portents are positive.
Five competitive matches played in 2024-25 and five wins is a record hard to quibble with. Undoubtedly the scale of the task gets more difficult in the Friday night flutlichtspiel (game under the lights) in Dortmund.
A year ago, also on a Friday night Matchday 3, Heidenheim fell behind 2-0 Dortmund within 15 minutes, only to stay in the game through self-belief and ingenuity, before launching a stirring second-half comeback. The 2-2 result was no fluke but rather a reflection of Heidenheim's willingness to run until the end. They are consistently at the top of the Bundesliga's distance-covered statistics, usually more than 122 kilometres per match.
They grafted for 123 km in the 0-0 draw at home against BVB in February, again a Friday fixture, and might have won the game had it not been for flabby finishing.
It will be fascinating to see if the unlikely Bundesliga leaders can again make it difficult for last season's Champions League runners-up. It would be foolish to opine that they can't.
Paul Wanner-inspired Heidenheim head to Borussia Dortmund as the league's early pace-setters but face their biggest test so far at the Signal Iduna Park on Friday (kick-off: 8.30pm CEST).
After their 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 1, Dortmund collected a 0-0 draw at Werder Bremen to head into the international break unbeaten. Since then, the club enjoyed a goal-filled testimonial for Ćukasz Piszczek and Jakub BĆaszczykowski, while Nuri Ćahin got to work with his players who weren't called up for national duty. That includes summer signing Serhou Guirassy, who Ćahin confirmed now has no limitations and will certainly be involved in some capacity on Friday for what would be a debut in Black and Yellow. Fellow new arrival Maximilian Beier is likely to continue in attack if Guirassy isn't fully ready to start, while Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen are pushing for places after substitute roles in Bremen. However, Gio Reyna will be out for some time after suffering a groin injury with the USMNT. At the back, Nico Schlotterbeck is suspended after collecting a red card against Werder, with Ramy Bensebaini expected to come into defence, which has so far been a mix of a back three and four within games. Yan Couto is set to return to the fold after missing the Bremen game.
While Dortmund will be happy with their start to the campaign, Heidenheim should be delighted. They have two wins from two and are the surprise league leaders heading into Matchday 3, while also safely navigating a qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League with a pair of victories over Swedish side HÀcken. The 2-0 win over St. Pauli on Matchday 1 was an excellent starter before serving up an almost perfect 4-0 victory at home to Augsburg before the pause for international football. Bayern Munich loanee Wanner scored in both games and has proven an early-season revelation, as has the defence which is one of only two teams - the other being Dortmund - yet to concede this season. This has all been much to the delight of head coach Frank Schmidt, who this week said he just wants more of the same. As a result, don't expect Schmidt to make any changes.
Dortmund:Â Kobel - Anton, SĂŒle, Bensebaini - Ryerson, Can (c), GroĂ, Gittens - Sabitzer, Beier, Brandt Out: Reyna (groin), Schlotterbeck (suspended), WĂ€tjen (knee) Doubtful: - Coach:Â Nuri Ćahin
Heidenheim: MĂŒller - TraorĂ©, Mainka (c), Gimber, Föhrenbach - Maloney, Schöppner - Beck, Wanner, Scienza - Pieringer Out: Feller (knee), Keller (knee), Niehues (knee), Thomalla (ill) Doubtful: - Coach: Frank Schmidt
Borussia Dortmund will hope to earn their second win of the Bundesliga season when they face FC Heidenheim on Friday at Signal Iduna Park in each side's third league game of 2024-25.
The hosts' draw against Werder Bremen was a relatively uneventful affair, with both teams generating just 0.98 xG combined.
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck was sent off in the 73rd minute, but at least boss Nuri Sahin can point to the fact his side only conceded one shot after being reduced to 10 men.
Last term under previous boss Edin Terzic, the Black and Yellows deployed the deepest defensive line of any team in the Bundesliga, but it is already clear from his two league games that Sahin has attempted to implement a more front-footed approach.
Although only two games have been played in the 2024-25 league season, it is noteworthy that Dortmund have conceded the joint least xG so far, whereas the team conceded the ninth most in Terzic's final season.
Sahin's side come into the clash unbeaten in their last three Bundesliga games, though prior to these fixtures they lost three, drew one and won two of the previous five league matches.
Dortmund have won their last three league games at home by a cumulative score of 11-1, although Eintracht Frankfurt's Fares Chaibi wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 71st minute last time out at Signal Iduna Park.
Opponents FC Heidenheim's remarkable success story has shown no sign of ending, with the club having won all five of their competitive games this season.
Heidenheim had just 36% possession during their win against Augsburg, but despite their limited time on the ball, they still created four big chances and conceded none themselves.
The visitors also qualified to the first phase of a European competition for the first time in their history when they beat Hacken 5-3 on aggregate in the Europa Conference League's fourth and final qualifying round.
Boss Frank Schmidt's team are first in the Bundesliga despite averaging the 16th lowest possession figure of the 18 sides in the top flight, as well as having the 16th fewest touches in the opposition box.
Heidenheim have won their last 11 matches when including friendlies and have won four and drawn two of their last six Bundesliga games.
Schmidt's side are also unbeaten in their last five away league games and have lost just once in their last 11 top-flight fixtures on the road.
The hosts could start Filippo Mane in central defence, and look to use Donyell Malen as a wing-back.
As for injuries, Dortmund will be without Giovanni Reyna and Kjell Watjen, and there are doubts about the fitness of Serhou Guirassy as well as Yan Couto.
The visitors will be unable to call upon Julian Niehues, Lennard Maloney and Thomas Leon Keller.
Luca Kerber could come into the starting XI in midfield in place of the injured Maloney, and he may be partnered by Jan Schoppner.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:Kobel; Anton, Sule, Mane; Ryerson, Can, Gross, Malen; Sabitzer, Brandt; Bynoe-Gittens
Although Heidenheim have made an exceptional start to the 2024-25 season, they have played two physically taxing European games.
Considering this, it would not be a surprise if Dortmund were the more energised side on Friday and managed to claim all three points.
Nuri Sahin is yet to taste defeat as Dortmund boss, but he would have been frustrated by the fact his side dropped points in their away meeting with Bremen before the international break. Die Schwarzgelben travelled to the Weserstadion on the back of two victories over Phönix LĂŒbeck and Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga respectively. They were unable to make it three victories on the bounce as they played out an underwhelming goalless draw against Bremen.
Sahin can at least take confidence from the fact his team have started the Bundesliga campaign with back-to-back clean sheets. They are also one of five teams that are yet to lose in the Bundesliga this season. Dortmund will look to maintain that record in Fridayâs contest as they go in search of a fourth consecutive home victory in the top flight.
Sahin has revealed that Serhou Guirassy is available for selection after recovering from a knee injury. Guirassy's fellow summer addition Yan Couto has also been declared fit for Friday's fixture.
However, the hosts are unable to call upon the injured Gio Reyna and the suspended Nico Schlotterbeck.
Heidenheim have made an impressive start to the 2024-25 season, having kicked off the new campaign with five consecutive victories in all competitions. They have seen off Villingen in the DFB-Pokal and claimed a couple of victories over Hacken to seal their place in their Europa Conference League qualifying tie. Meanwhile, in the Bundesliga, Heidenheim claimed a 2-0 win over St Pauli before they recorded a commanding 4-0 win over Heidenheim in their most recent outing.
Having scored six goals without conceding, Heidenheim are currently sitting top of the Bundesliga table as one of three teams with a 100% record. While it will be tough to claim another victory in Fridayâs fixture, the visitors may fancy their chances of taking at least a point after drawing both of their meetings with Dortmund last season. They drew 2-2 at Signal Iduna Park in September 2023, before they played out a goalless home draw in February.
Denis Thomalla and Frank Feller are sidelined due to illness and injury respectively. Meanwhile, Julian Niehues and Thomas Keller are continuing to work their way back from anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
Serhou Guirassy and Yan Couto could make their Borussia Dortmund debuts in the Bundesliga this weekend after both returning to training.
Speaking in Wednesdayâs press conference, Nuri Ćahin discussed Guirassy, who returned to team training before the international break.
âHe has increased his workload again and again in recent weeks, now he is making an excellent impression,â said Ćahin. âThere is no handbrake in his head at all. He is behaving the way a top player should.â
When questioned on Couto, who joined the club on loan with an obligation to buy from Manchester City, the 36-year-old head coach added: âHe was able to train with us all week. It was of course bitter for him that he had to withdraw from the Brazilian national team. If everything goes as normal, he will be there on Friday.â
Ćahin also confirmed that Gio Reyna has suffered a setback after picking up a fresh injury while being on international duty with the US national team. Nico Schlotterbeck is also suspended after being sent off for a second bookable offence in their 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen prior to the international break.
Ramy Bensebaini is a player who came off the bench against both Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen. The Algerian could be an option to start in absence of Schlotterbeck, with Ćahin adding: âPhysically, he is at a really good level. Heâs a very, very good footballer. Itâs a new start for him. We get on well and now itâs up to him to bring his level back onto the pitch.â
Borussia Dortmund opened their Bundesliga campaign with a 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in a performance that gained plaudits, but their 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen drew criticism from many.
Against Heidenheim, Dortmund face a difficult side that is yet to concede in the league this season as Frank Schmidtâs side sit top of the Bundesliga.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
