1. FC Heidenheim – Union Berlin
Our Heidenheim – Union Berlin prediction is: Union to win – 2.30 odds
- Heidenheim have lost their last seven games in a row
- Union Berlin are coming into the game with a new coaching effect
- Berlin currently have more wins than Heidenheim this season
On Saturday afternoon, the Bundesliga clash between the two teams with the weakest form in the Bundesliga awaits us. Heidenheim will face Union Berlin in the Voith Arena. Heidenheim have currently slipped to 16th place and are only two points clear of the direct relegation places, while Union, on the other hand, are seven points ahead of their opponents from Heidenheim with 17 points and currently rank twelfth in the table.
Heidenheim are without a win for ten league games and have lost nine of them. At home, they have only drawn once since their home win on matchday two, with the other five games being lost. To make matters worse, they suffered a 2-0 defeat against bottom-of-the-table Bochum on the last matchday.
Union, on the other hand, have not won in seven league games, drawing two and losing five. Overall, they have not scored in four away games and have won just as often away from home as Heidenheim has at home (once). The new head coach Steffen Baumgart was presented shortly before the end of the year as the new hope. After the 4-1 defeat to Bremen in the last game under Svensson, Baumgart is now supposed to turn things around. You can find out whether he will succeed in doing so in the first game in our Heidenheim – Union Berlin betting tip.
Heidenheim – Union Berlin Info
- Date & Time: 11/01/2025, 3:30 pm
- Venue: Voith-Arena, Heidenheim
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 16
- TV broadcast/live stream: SKY
Heidenheim Form & record check
1. FC Heidenheim have won six of their seven home matches in professional football against 1. FC Union Berlin (one defeat). The club from the Brenz region have a higher home win rate against the Berliners (86 percent) than against any other club, despite playing at least as many matches. In the previous season, Heidenheim remained unbeaten against Union (1-0 at home, 2-2 away).
However, the club is currently going through a difficult phase. 1. FC Heidenheim have not won in their last ten Bundesliga games (one draw, nine defeats), losing seven in a row. Both are club records, with the latter being the longest such streak of any Bundesliga club to date. Heidenheim is also facing the prospect of going ten competitive games without a win for the first time in professional football (currently one draw and eight defeats).
The club is also under pressure defensively: with 33 goals conceded, only Holstein Kiel (38) and VfL Bochum (35) have conceded more. The weakness is particularly noticeable in the last seven games, in which Heidenheim has conceded 22 goals – twice as many as in the first eight match days.
Heidenheim with many weaknesses
There is also room for improvement in offense. No team in this Bundesliga season has an average low percentage of possession like 1. FC Heidenheim (39.9 percent). They also have the fewest passes per game (350) and the second-lowest pass completion rate (74.5 per cent). The club also performs poorly in terms of pressing, with just 111 pressing sequences – the lowest in the league.
On the positive side, Heidenheim have signed Budu Zivzivadze, the current top scorer in the Bundesliga 2 (15 scorer points: twelve goals, three assists). The Georgian has scored as many goals in 17 games this season as in 30 appearances in the previous season and was directly involved in four goals in the last two Karlsruhe SC games.
Heidenheim facts & analysis
- Won six of seven home games against Union
- Without a win in ten league games, seven defeats in a row
- Third-worst defense in the league
Union Berlin form & record check
Union Berlin are also going through a difficult phase. The club has not won in eight games (three draws, five defeats) and has the second-longest negative streak in the league after Heidenheim. They are particularly struggling away from home: the Berliners have lost their last four Bundesliga away games in a row, which is the same number of defeats as in their previous eleven away games combined. The last time they had a longer series was between September and December 2023, when Union conceded six away defeats in a row.
This season, Union have been more convincing defensively than Heidenheim: with 19 goals conceded, the club is in second place in this category behind FC Bayern (13). Offensively, András Schäfer has recently provided a small ray of hope: he scored for the first time this Bundesliga season in the 4-1 defeat in Bremen and has been involved in goals in two consecutive away games (one goal, one assist).
Baumgart as new hope
However, Union will have to do without captain Rani Khedira, who is missing through suspension for collecting a yellow card. He has been in the starting lineup in all 15 Bundesliga games so far and, at 163.3 kilometers, has covered the greatest distance in the team.
Coach Steffen Baumgart brings a personal touch to the game: he played for Union from 2002 to 2004 and scored 22 goals in 64 second division games. He has an unblemished record against Heidenheim’s coach Frank Schmidt: Baumgart has remained undefeated in four duels in professional football (two wins, two draws), all in the 2nd Bundesliga with Paderborn.
Union Berlin Facts & Analysis
- Without a win in eight games
- Second-best defense in the league
- Baumgart still undefeated against Frank Schmidt
We expect Heidenheim to play in a 4-1-3-2 system again under coach Frank Schmidt. The Heidenheimers will hope to get back on track against their favorite opponent.
Union Berlin’s starting lineup is still uncertain with coach Steffen Baumgart. In the press conference, he indicated that he could play with both a back three and a back four. With him, the Irons hope to be able to turn things around again.
Heidenheim – Union Berlin Comparison & Stats
In the direct comparison between 1. FC Heidenheim and Union Berlin, there have been 14 competitive games so far. 1. FC Heidenheim won seven of these encounters, while Union Berlin celebrated four victories. Three games ended in a draw. The goal difference is slightly in favor of Heidenheim, at 21-18. The duels have been played in two Bundesliga games, ten matches in the Bundesliga 2 and two DFB Cup games.
Head-to-head (H2H)
