1st FC Heidenheim 1846 – VfL Bochum
After the international break, the Bundesliga teams are once again eager for the remaining games until the winter break. Some of the clubs were still missing a few players from their training sessions as they were away with their national teams. However, the coaches will no doubt have used the time to prepare their teams as well as possible for the upcoming tasks in order to bring home a few more points before Christmas.
FC Heidenheim and VfL Bochum face each other on Sunday afternoon on matchday 12 of the Bundesliga. It promises to be a real battle for extremely important points to stay in the league, as both teams are separated by just one point. The relegation places are not far away and the winner could gain a little breathing space, while the loser will slip further down the table. It will be a duel at eye level in which small details could decide the game. Find out who will win this game in our Heidenheim – Bochum betting tip
Heidenheim – Bochum info
- Date & Time: 26.11.2023, 3:30 pm
- Playing venue: Voith-Arena, Heidenheim
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 12
- TV broadcast: DAZN
Heidenheim Form & Balance Check
FC Heidenheim are currently 13th in the table with ten points from eleven games. As a promoted team, Heidenheim are therefore on target so far, as the midfield of the league is extremely tight this season and the team is separated from eighth place by just four points. Nevertheless, coach Frank Schmidt’s focus is on keeping the lower places in the table at bay and collecting as many points as possible in the battle to stay in the top flight.
After all, there have been a few setbacks recently and the record of the last six competitive matches shows just one win and five defeats. The games against direct rivals, such as VfL Bochum, are extremely important and Heidenheim would be four points ahead of Bochum with a win
Beste delivers
The man who probably poses the biggest threat to Heidenheim’s opponents is Jan-Niklas Beste. The 24-year-old has already scored five goals this season and also scored in the recent 4-2 defeat to Munich. Added to this are the extremely dangerous set-pieces that Beste kicks for Heidenheim. So far, the midfielder, who usually plays on the left flank, has also recorded four assists, although it is up to the Heidenheim team’s takers to explain why there are not significantly more assists.
In the last home game against Stuttgart alone, Heidenheim hit the crossbar several times from Best’s corners and free-kicks. From Heidenheim’s point of view, it remains to be hoped that Beste will once again set up his teammates against Bochum and perhaps even score himself
Heidenheim facts & analysis
- Currently 13th in the table
- Five defeats from the last six games
- Goal ratio of 17:26
Bochum Form & Balance Check
VfL Bochum currently occupy 14th place in the table and are just one point behind Heidenheim with nine points. VfL have recently been able to start a small run of points, as the team from the Ruhr region have not lost in three games and celebrated their first three-pointer of the season with a 2:1 win in Darmstadt. Bochum have a record of one win, three draws and one defeat in their last five games.
As a result, VfL are currently two points ahead of the relegation places and three points ahead of the direct relegation places. Coach Thomas Letsch will have used the break to prepare his team for the clash with Heidenheim, as a win would see Bochum leapfrog Heidenheim
Too many goals conceded away from home and no standard threat
VfL have picked up five of their nine points away from home, but the team have already conceded 17 goals in away matches. That is extremely poor and only SV Darmstadt’s keeper has conceded 18 goals away from home more often. It remains to be seen whether coach Letsch has used the international break to plug the big holes in the back line.
In addition, Bochum are probably the least dangerous team in the league from set-pieces, as they have only scored three goals from a resting ball, two of which came from the penalty spot. The only real set-piece goal came from a corner. This is probably one of the main reasons why Bochum have only scored eleven goals in total so far
Bochum facts & analysis
- Currently 14th in the league
- Goal ratio of 11:25
- One win and two draws from the last three games
Predicted line-up – last update on November 25, 2023
We expect Heidenheim to play a 4-5-1 formation with a double six in the center. We think Tim Kleindienst will start up front, but Marvin Pieringer would also be an option for the starting eleven.
Bochum will play in a 4-2-2-2 system. Patrick Osterhage is likely to keep his place in the starting line-up, as is Lukas Daschner in midfield
Heidenheim – Bochum head-to-head & stats
Sunday’s clash will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the German top flight. Previously, there have been 14 second division matches and one DFB Cup clash. VfL lead the direct comparison with nine wins and two draws. Heidenheim have won four times so far. The last meeting was over two years ago. Bochum won 2:0 on the 30th matchday of Bundesliga 2 at the time.
- Bochum are ahead in the historical direct comparison so far
- VfL have won the last five encounters
- Heidenheim’s last win was in 2018
