FSV Mainz – 1. FC Heidenheim 1846
The last matchday in the Champions League group stage was played during the week and now we know all the round of 16 finalists. The Bundesliga continues at the weekend with matchday 15 on the schedule. Two teams that currently have little or nothing to do with the top flight will meet in Mainz. Find out who will pick up three important points in the relegation battle at the MEWA Arena in our Mainz – Heidenheim betting tip.
This clash is particularly important for the hosts. FSV are currently 17th in the table and could leave the relegation places with a win. The Nullfünfer have picked up a solid six points from their last five games, but could have scored one or two more if they had made better use of their chances.
The visitors from Brenz, on the other hand, shone in the previous week with a strong goal tally. There, Heidenheim secured a hugely important 3:2 win against fellow promoted side Darmstadt and thus jumped back up to 13th place in the table
Mainz – Heidenheim Info:
- Date & Time: 16.12.2023, 3:30 pm
- Playing venue: MEWA Arena, Mainz
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 15
- TV broadcast: Sky
Mainz Form & Balance Check
Coach Bo Svensson had been with Mainz for almost three years. However, the Dane pulled the ripcord at the beginning of November and resigned from his position following the ongoing misery. Under interim coach Jan Siewert, the Nullfünfer have now only conceded one defeat and dropped to the bottom of the table.
Last weekend, FSV traveled to Cologne for the basement duel against the Geißböcke. Mainz created a number of goalscoring opportunities in this duel, but still couldn’t get past 0-0 in the end. The Nullfünfer are now in 17th place and one point behind the drop zone
Mainzer Chancenwucher
Mainz 05 haven’t created many goals so far this season. The “Nullfünfer” have scored just twelve goals in their first 14 games. This makes FSV the second weakest offense in the entire league. Only 1. FC Köln have scored two fewer goals so far this season.
In recent matches, however, Mainz’s scoring opportunities have increased again. Only FSV’s chance conversion still leaves a lot to be desired. In the last four games, the 0-fives have created a total xG value of 6.22. However, Mainz have only scored one goal from all of these chances
Mainz facts & analysis
- In 17th place in the Bundesliga table
- Played 0:0 against Cologne in the previous week
- First win of the season
Heidenheim Form & Balance Check
Heidenheim are looking stable this season, but are still in the relegation battle. After the first 14 Bundesliga games, coach Frank Schmidt’s charges have collected 14 points and are 13th in the table. Last week, however, Heidenheim recorded another significant success.
The men from the Ostalb faced their direct rivals from Darmstadt last Saturday. An exciting game developed in the Voith Arena, in which the lead changed hands twice. In the end, Heidenheim had the better of the game and ran out 3:2 winners
Best of the standard king
On Saturday, the men from the Brenz will once again be hoping for successful set pieces. FCH definitely have the perfect marksman in their squad. Heidenheim’s Jan-Niklas Beste is the first German player to score three goals from set pieces in a Bundesliga match since the 2004/05 season after his outstanding performance the previous week.
The only other player to achieve this 15 years ago was the Hungarian Tamas Hajnal for Borussia Dortmund in November 2008. With seven assists, Jan-Niklas Beste is also the current top set-up man in the Bundesliga, together with Julian Brandt, Leroy Sane and Xavi Simons.
Heidenheim facts & analysis
- In 13th place in the league table
- In 18th place in the away table
- Won 3:2 against Darmstadt in the previous week
Predicted line-up – last update on December 14, 2023
At Mainz 05, we are again assuming a 3-4-2-1 on Saturday. The attacking trio of Gruda, Burkardt and Ajorque have harmonized well recently and will probably also be in the starting line-up on Saturday.
Meanwhile, 1. FC Heidenheim are again expecting a 4-1-4-1, with the visitors from the Ostalb again relying on the standard strength of Jan-Niklas Beste. Patrick Mainka, the double goal scorer from the previous week, will captain the team again
Mainz – Heidenheim head-to-head & stats
Saturday’s clash will be the first meeting between Mainz 05 and 1. FC Heidenheim. The two coaches Jan Siewert and Frank Schmidt have also never met before
- First competitive match between the two teams
- Five points separate the two teams in the league
- Heidenheim are still waiting for their first away win of the season
