Heidenheim vs Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen head to the Voith-Arena to take on Bundesliga minnows Heidenheim in a must-win league fixture.

After remarkably securing European qualification in their first-ever Bundesliga campaign last term, Heidenheim’s top-flight status hangs by a thread in 2024/25. Stranded three points adrift of safety in the relegation playoff spot, Heidenheim’s inability to juggle Europa Conference League duties and Bundesliga commitments could lead to their detriment this season unless they pull off a late turnaround. However, the hosts saw Wolfsburg off last weekend (1-0) to make it back-to-back league victories for the first time since the opening two matchdays after a 3-1 triumph against rock-bottom Holstein Kiel. Leverkusen’s visit potentially spells trouble for Heidenheim’s bid to make it three wins in a row, considering they’ve lost all five top-flight home games against current top-seven teams this season without finding the net.

In the meantime, Bayer Leverkusen’s three-match winning streak against Heidenheim bodes well for their bid to bounce back from a midweek embarrassment in the DFB-Pokal. Indeed, Xabi Alonso’s reigning holders slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld in the semi-finals, becoming only the fourth side in competition history during the Bundesliga era to bow out to a third-tier opponent. Aiming to pounce on any potential Bayern Munich slip-up, ‘Die Werkself’ take this trip amid their second-best ever tally at this stage of a Bundesliga campaign on the back of consecutive league wins against Bochum and Stuttgart – both of which saw them score 3+ goals.