Bundesliga: Will Dortmund Be the One to End Heidenheim’s Streak?

Borussia Dortmund vs FC Heidenheim

The return of Bundesliga couldn’t be more exciting, with two unbeaten sides in Borussia Dortmund and Heidenheim facing off to see who will remain unscathed after 90 minutes of hard-fought German top-flight action.

The home team—fresh off a goalless draw against Werder Bremen—are looking to pick up their second win of the season as they host the league leaders over the weekend.

Frustrated by a tough Bremen squad before the international break, Nuri Sahin will be hoping that Nico Schlotterbeck’s absence won’t be a huge gap to fill come matchday.

One of Die Schwarzgelben’s key players, the 24-year-old centre-back was sent off in the 73^rd minute of the Werder Bremen contest after picking up a second bookable offence.

And Dortmund’s loss is surely Heidenheim’s gain, with the latter aiming to win three in a row and consolidate their lead at the top of the table.

Frank Schmidt’s side have been unblemished so far, winning all five of their competitive matches to start the season. But the upcoming match against the second-biggest club in Germany will be their litmus test, and they will hope to pass it with flying colours.

I’m sure all of you SBOTOP football fans can’t wait for this one.

Talking Points

Serhou Guirassy can make his debut over the weekend

Last season, the Black and Yellows had the fewest goals out of the top five teams in the league. Former coach Edin Terzic also put an emphasis on defending and preferred his side to be quite dull and boring, which was the sentiment of most fans.

That approach isn’t the same principle as Nuri Sahin wants his Dortmund side to be, as he has shown in the past few matches they’ve played so far.

Another solution to do away with lulling the fans to sleep was granted in the form of Serhou Guirassy—the second leading scorer in the last Bundesliga season.

However, the 28-year-old striker is yet to make his debut for Dortmund, as he is still sidelined after an injury he picked up last season.

But the wait may soon be over.

According to Bundesliga 2024 updates, Guirassy returned to team training prior to the international break, and could potentially feature in the upcoming match against Heidenheim.

Guirassy finished with 28 goals in 28 games played for VfB Stuttgart last year, with his scoring prowess a huge part of the club’s second-place finish.

Heidenheim ran riot on Augsburg

Regardless if it’s still the early portion of the season, Heidenheim leading the league is absolutely not on my bingo card. But here they are, winners of their 11 past matches (including friendlies), and they have won four and drawn two of their last six Bundesliga matches.

And their victory over Augsburg last time out was a perfect 10.

FC Heidenheim are now leading the Bundesliga table, while Borussia Dortmund are at the fourth place — FC Heidenheim’s players celebrate their team’s first goal during their Bundesliga match against Ausburg

Notwithstanding Augsburg’s dominance in possession, Heidenheim cruised to a 4-0 win that featured four different scorers.

Bayern Munich loanee Paul Wanner converted from the spot less than 10 minutes into the match, making him the youngest penalty scorer in the Bundesliga and also the youngest one to score on the league’s first two matchdays.

Leo Scienza doubled the lead at the half-hour mark, whilst second-half goals from Adrian Beck and Maximilian Breunig wrapped things up for Frank Schmidt’s side.

History

Both clubs have met three times since 2014, with both of their Bundesliga matches last season ending in a draw. Meanwhile, their 2014 friendly ended with a 3-4 win to Die Schwarzgelben.

Betting Tip

Borussia Dortmund VS 1. FC Heidenheim

September 14, 02:30 (GMT+8)

Total Goals 2-3

@ 2.16

Despite leading the league, Heidenheim come into this one as the heavy underdogs (7.00), with the Bundesliga 2024 odds favouring Borussia Dortmund to pull out all the stops for a win (1.33).

Still, for my money, I see this one ending with at least two goals, no matter the winner.

Both squads are the only remaining teams who have yet to concede a goal in the league. But between Dortmund being the clear favourites and Heidenheim’s scoring form, expecting a couple goals from this game isn’t asking for too much.

It is also worth noting that Dortmund have won their last three Bundesliga home games and are undefeated at Signal Iduna Park on a Friday night since January 2004, so perhaps this trend would continue on matchday.

On the other hand, Schmidt’s side haven’t lost away from home since March in Augsburg earlier this year.