1st FC Heidenheim 1846 – SC Freiburg
The Bundesliga is in its final stages before the long-awaited Christmas break for the players. For the teams, it’s back to the drawing board these days and the 16th matchday marks the end of the English week. There are some interesting games on the program and some teams can give their fans a pre-Christmas present. On Wednesday evening, Heidenheim and SC Freiburg, among others, will go head-to-head. Find out who will win and who will come away empty-handed in our Heidenheim – Freiburg betting tip.
Both clubs were able to gather confidence for this clash last weekend and go into this game with a win behind them. Heidenheim won an extremely important match against FSV Mainz 05, and thus against a direct rival for relegation.
Freiburg also won 2:0 against 1. FC Köln, thus knocking Hoffenheim out of the international places. On Wednesday, both teams have the opportunity to collect points once again in order to pursue their respective goals.
Heidenheim – Freiburg info
- Date & Time: 20.12.2023, 20:30 hrs.
- Playing venue: Voith-Arena, Heidenheim
- Competition: Bundesliga, matchday 16
- TV broadcast: Sky
Heidenheim Form & Balance Check
FC Heidenheim have picked up extremely important points over the last two matchdays in their bid to avoid relegation. With victories against Mainz and Darmstadt, Heidenheim were able to defeat two direct rivals and work their way up to twelfth place in the table. They are now seven points clear of the relegation places and eight points clear of the direct relegation places.
The balance from the last six games is a strong ten points. Coach Frank Schmidt’s team will be looking to build on their great performances against Freiburg. If they win this game as well, they could even finish the winter in a single-digit place in the table, but it should be more important to keep as far away from the relegation places as possible
First away win
The narrow victory in Mainz was also the first away win of the season for coach Schmidt’s team. The away curse therefore seems to have been broken, as Marvin Pieringer’s 1:0 was the first ever lead on foreign turf for the Heidenheim side.
As a result, the team was finally able to distance itself from SV Werder Bremen in the away statistics, who are still the only team without an away win. Fortunately, from Heidenheim’s point of view, the team has been able to compensate for its poor away record with strong home performances. Heidenheim have already won four out of seven games at home
Heidenheim facts & analysis
- twelfth place in the table
- Last two wins in a row
- Unbeaten at home for three games
Freiburg Form & Balance Check
Freiburg have started a short run in the league in the last few games before the winter break. The 2:0 win against Cologne was their third Bundesliga victory in a row and their fourth win from the last five competitive matches. A small damper is the missed group win in the Europa League, after Freiburg were beaten 2:0 at West Ham in the group final.
Nevertheless, the Breisgauers are still in international contention for the winter and currently occupy an international qualification place in the league. Another win would increase the pressure on BVB and Freiburg could even move up to fifth place with some help from Mainz
White vests
The list of goalkeepers with the most white vests is currently headed by Freiburg’s number one Noah Atubolu, together with Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. After six of their 15 league games, Freiburg have kept a clean sheet and have also not conceded a goal in their last three league games.
Atubolu, who was born in Freiburg, is a true home-grown SC player and joined the club’s youth academy at the age of 13. The 21-year-old, who also stands between the posts for the U21 national team, is currently repaying the trust of coach Christian Streich with strong performances in his first season as number one
Freiburg facts & analysis
- sixth place in the table
- Won three league games in a row
- Goal ratio of 19:23
Predicted line-up – last update on December 19, 2023
Heidenheim will play in a 4-1-4-1 formation. We expect a similar formation to the recent success against Mainz. If Omar Traoré is fit in time after a hip problem, he will return to the starting line-up for Marnon Busch. The attacking players Jan-Niklas Beste and Pieringer could be suspended for the next match if they pick up another yellow card.
We expect Freiburg to play a 4-2-3-1 formation with the currently strong Michael Gregoritsch, who only came off the bench against Cologne for graft reasons, back in the starting eleven. There could also be a lot of rotation in midfield. Ritsu Dōan and Roland Sallai will probably be on the bench for the time being
Heidenheim – Freiburg head-to-head comparison and statistics
Heidenheim and Freiburg have not met very often in their club history. This Wednesday will be the first ever clash between the two teams in the Bundesliga. So far there have been two games in the Bundesliga 2, which went to SC Freiburg with 2:0 and 2:1. These were the first and only meetings in a competitive match. The only friendly match, in 2022, ended in a 2-2 draw
- It will be the first duel in the German Oberhaus
- Heidenheim have never won against Freiburg
- Overall goal difference 4:1 from Freiburg’s point of view
