In the last league game of 2025, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846, currently 17th in the table, welcomes Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to the Voith Arena in what is a classic clash between a relegation candidate and a title contender, with Heidenheim having a lot at stake. Bayern won the last meeting here in April 4-0 and lead the head-to-head record with four wins to one, although Heidenheim’s only success, a 3-2 home win in 2024, shows that this duel occasionally defies the expected roles. Heidenheim are coming off a painful 2-1 defeat at St. Pauli and, despite brief periods of improvement, have slipped into the relegation zone, so expectations remain rather subdued. In terms of personnel, Bayern have additional issues to contend with, as they will have to do without injured captain Neuer and the long-term absentee Musiala. Olise, who is second only to Kane this season, is doubtful after undergoing eye surgery, and Jackson is already missing due to the AFCON. As a result, youngster Urbig is likely to start behind Kane, Luis Díaz, and the up-and-coming Karl. Heidenheim is pinning its hopes primarily on Pieringer, Honsak, Ibrahimovic, whose market value has just risen, and Traoré, who has been used almost continuously and is attracting further transfer interest with his performances.
- Venue: Voith Arena, Heidenheim
- Date and time: 12/21/2025, 5:30 p.m.
- Competition: Bundesliga (Matchday 15)
Overall, the tips point to a game that Bayern will probably control early on but cannot completely decide. With away odds of 1.1 and a draw at 9.5, the bookmakers are almost pushing Heidenheim aside, but Ibrahimovic’s influence in the win against Freiburg, Urbig replacing Neuer, and that 2-2 draw against bottom-of-the-table Mainz suggest that both teams will score: Yes, we suggest placing a small bet on 1X and also suggest that Bayern will lead at halftime.
Heidenheim Form & Record Check
11 points from 14 games have put Heidenheim in 17th place in the Bundesliga, separated only by goal difference from St. Pauli and four points ahead of Mainz at the bottom of the table. Their recent league record of two wins and three defeats in their last five games and the high scores in Leverkusen and at home against Gladbach have pushed their goal difference to minus 17. The 6-0 thrashing in Leverkusen and the 3-0 home defeat to Gladbach revealed serious defensive weaknesses and a tendency to lose compactness after conceding the first goal, However, the response to this was impressive, with hard-fought 2-1 wins at Union and at home against Freiburg, before the 2-1 defeat at St. Pauli followed as a painful setback. Statistically, the pattern is clear: Heidenheim has conceded at least one goal in each of its last five league games and was behind at halftime in all of them without scoring before the break, and each of these games ended with more than two goals, reinforcing the impression that the team has become too reliant on late reactions and is too often forced to chase the game. The defeat in Hamburg is particularly painful, because against a St. Pauli team that had been reduced to ten men before the break, Heidenheim still conceded two goals from Kaars and only responded through Pieringer. Later pressure and a great chance for Honsak, which Vasilj saved well, did not change the fact that Schmidt’s team reacted too slowly and lacked the necessary killer instinct against a direct relegation rival. There are mixed signals in terms of personnel. Ibrahimovic’s rising market value and his lively performances recently, including his role in the comeback against Freiburg and his creativity in St. Pauli, underline his potential to spark things up. Regulars such as Traoré continue to rack up minutes despite transfer rumors, while injuries to Conteh and Zivzivadze and Paçarada’s suspension limit the offensive options, even if there are no departures for the Africa Cup of Nations.
We expect Frank Schmidt to stick with his familiar 3-4-2-1 formation, so our predicted starting lineup is Ramaj in goal, Keller, Mainka, and Siersleben in front of him, Traoré and Föhrenbach as attacking fullbacks, Schöppner and Niehues in the center as the driving force, Beck and Ibrahimovic, recently highlighted due to his jump in market value, supporting center forward Pieringer, which makes Heidenheim compact and vertical after winning the ball. This is only a predicted lineup and not a confirmed eleven, but big surprises seem unlikely, with Paçarada suspended, Feller still injured and no AFCON call-ups, the defensive options are clear, Traoré remains virtually indispensable after his appearances in every league game, and in attack, the absences of Conteh and Zivzivadze limit Schmidt’s options, which is why Kaufmann, Honsak, and Schimmer are emerging as the most important alternative offensive options from the bench.
Bayern form & record check
Bayern come to Heidenheim as Bundesliga leaders, Vincent Kompany’s team has 38 points, a goal difference of plus 40, and a six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, figures that reflect a strong first half of the season and live up to the reputation that has already earned him the title of Coach of the Year in Belgium, even if their performances continue to combine clear dominance with defensive weaknesses. In the league, their recent run includes a 3-1 win over St. Pauli, a 5-0 win in Stuttgart, and a 2-2 draw at home against Mainz. The rout in Stuttgart showed their offensive prowess and rare defensive control, while the draw against Mainz revealed their vulnerability. Bayern took the lead through Karl, then allowed Mainz to turn the game around, and ultimately needed Kane’s late penalty to salvage a point. In all competitions, Bayern are unbeaten in their last five games, with four wins and the draw against Mainz. In the cup, they beat Union Berlin 3-2, and in Europe, they defeated Sporting CP 3-1 and are now in second place in the Champions League group stage after six games. The pattern remains clear: high-scoring games and a lot of control, but frequent goals conceded, reinforcing the impression that Kompany is deliberately taking additional risks at the back. Kane’s 18 Bundesliga goals underpin this run, with him openly targeting Lewandowski’s record, while Olise, with nine goals and fourteen assists, and Gnabry, with four goals and four assists, have become important playmakers. Rising star Karl already has six league goals, Diaz returns from suspension, although Olise is doubtful and Musiala remains sidelined. In addition, the rising market values of Upamecano, Pavlovic, and Bischof underscore their growing importance in the squad.
Bayern are expected to stick with the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation from our predicted line-up, with Urbig in goal behind a back four of Stanisic, Kim, Tah and Davies, Kimmich and Goretzka should stabilize the midfield, Karl will take on the number 10 role between Gnabry and Diaz, who is returning from suspension, providing support for Kane as the lone striker. This structure gives Kompany stability in possession and clear triggers for pressing. Key absentees remain Neuer with his muscle injury, Boey due to illness, Musiala after his long fibula break, and Jackson on international duty, which is why rotation options are limited. Olise is questionable after his eye surgery and could start on the bench again, leaving the creative burden in this predicted starting eleven to Karl and Gnabry between the lines.
Heidenheim – Bayern Head-to-head & statistics
In the five competitive meetings, Bayern Munich leads the series with four wins, Heidenheim has one, there has never been a draw, and the goal difference is also clear, with 19 goals for Bayern compared to 11 for Heidenheim, which means that these duels average exactly six goals per game and are usually very open. Heidenheim’s only win came at home in 2024 with a 3-2 victory, while Bayern won the other four games, including the most recent encounter in April 2025, a 4-0 away win that once again underlined the differences in offensive strength. Bayern have been flawless in Munich so far, winning 5-4 in 2019 and 4-2 in both 2023 and 2024. The starts have often been decisive, with Bayern scoring in the first half of every encounter and Heidenheim conceding goals before the break in all five games. There has never been a level score at halftime or at the end, with the second halves opening up even more, with at least two goals in four of the five games and typically plenty of action in the closing stages. From Heidenheim’s perspective, the pattern is clear: they almost always score but still lose. They found the net in four of five games, scoring a total of 11 goals but conceding 19. Between 2019 and 2024, they managed a run of four games with goals against Bayern, which only ended with a 4-0 defeat in April 2025. Bayern’s dominance is particularly evident in how often they determine the score early on. In four of the five encounters, they were ahead at halftime, and overall they have won 80% of the games. In four different games, they scored at least four goals, and once their attack is up and running, Heidenheim often struggles to slow down the pace.
