Heidenheim vs. Wolfsburg preview: Schmidt’s men keen to end domestic slump

Here is our preview of Saturday’s Bundesliga clash between Heidenheim and Wolfsburg, including our predicted lineups.

Heidenheim

After an excellent start to the season, Heidenheim have recently fallen into a slump – at least on the domestic front. Frank Schmidt’s side have lost four of their last five games against German opposition, including a 2-1 defeat to 2. Bundesliga side Hertha BSC in the DFB-Pokal.

Last week’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Holstein Kiel was another blow, but Schmidt can take heart from the fact that his side – albeit a much-changed one – got back to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Hearts in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. In general, Heidenheim have performed well in Europe, winning each of their first three games.

Their aim on Sunday must be to build on their performance against Hearts with a much-needed Bundesliga win against a Wolfsburg side, who haven’t exactly impressed in the league of late either.

Team News

Frank Schmidt rotated his side heavily against Hearts and should be able to field a fresh team on Sunday. Marnon Busch is a doubt after picking up a knock on Thursday, while long-term absentees Keller (match fitness) and Niehues (ligament)  remain sidelined.

Wolfsburg

Sitting in 14th place with nine points from nine games, there’s plenty of room for improvement for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s Wolfsburg side.

A spirited 1-0 extra-time win over Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal was followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw in the league last week, with a late Mohamed Amoura goal salvaging a point at home to Augsburg.

With Wolfsburg now just one point above the relegation zone, points are urgently needed, and Hasenhüttl will be hoping to see a different face from his side on Sunday.

Team News

Jonas Wind has been passed fit, but it’s uncertain if the Dane will be deemed fit enough to start after only returning to training on Thursday.

Jakub Kaminski is a doubt after breaking his finger in training, but could possibly play with a splint.

Bialek (knee), Klinger (wrist), Majer (thigh), Paredes (foot), Rogério (knee), Svanberg (ankle) and Vranckx (muscular) are all definitely out.

Meanwhile, Sebaastian Bornauw and Patrick Wimmer are both back and available.

Click here to see our predicted Heidenheim vs. Wolfsburg lineups.