Eintracht Frankfurt's form has raised some eyebrows lately, but the team remains in pursuit of the Europa League trophy. The stakes in this clash are far greater when it comes to Heidenheim, who have only six games to try to escape relegation.
Eintracht Frankfurt managed a tough 1-1 draw away at Tottenham midweek, giving themselves strong chances to make it to the semi-finals of the Europa League next week. It definitely wasn't their best performance but we've grown used to seeing Eintracht struggle lately.
The team's Bundesliga form includes four defeats in the last six rounds, including the most recent 2-0 at Werder Bremen. Losing Omar Marmoush in January was a huge blow, and while Hugo Ekitike has done wonders to keep the team on track, their attacking capabilities dropped significantly.
Heidenheim were close to making it four games in a row without a defeat, but a late winner lost them the point against Bayer Leverkusen. FCH remain close to the bottom of the table but their wins over Wolfsburg and Holstein Kiel back-to-back put them only four points behind St. Pauli. With six rounds remaining, Heidenheim can't afford more mistakes.
How the bookies view it: Closer than expected
Eintracht Frankfurt expectedly have the betting advantage, but their odds are not as low as we anticipated. Bookmakers clearly took into consideration that the Eagles will face Tottenham twice in a week and probably expect a different kind of performance. You can pick Eintracht at 3/4, while the odds for the draw and Heidenheim to win both sit around 16/5.
Recent head to head: FCH are still chasing their first win
Despite their glorious performance last season, Heidenheim can still be considered a new name in the Bundesliga. And since they joined the elite, they haven't yet beaten Eintracht Frankfurt. The Eagles have a perfect record with four wins in four official H2Hs, while FCH have one win from a friendly match in 2015. Earlier this season, Eintracht crushed them 0-4 on the road.
Players to watch: Ekitike needs help
The sad fact is there isn't a single worthy pick in this matchup other than Hugo Ekitike. We expect a solid home performance but there isn't a single player with more than four goals other than the young Frenchman. And right now, he hasn't scored in four consecutive Bundesliga games. His goal against Tottenham earlier this week should boost his confidence ahead of the important fixtures that remain.
Probable line-ups
Eintracht Frankfurt: Santos, Theate, Koch, Tuta, Kristensen, Larsson, Hojlund, Brown, Uzun, Gotze, Ekitike
Heidenheim: Muller, Mainka, Gimber, Busch, Kratzig, Dorsch, Schoppner, Traore, Beck, Pieringer, Zivzivadze
Anything else catch the eye?
We like to think that Dino Toppmoller will not risk Eintracht's position in the Top 4 with a weaker line-up, despite the far more difficult game with Tottenham next Thursday. And because of that, we will take an advantage of the good odds, as we see considerable value in the 3/4 for the Eagles.
While their Bundesliga form has not impressed anyone lately, they recently dismantled another team from the drop zone (3-1 Bochum) and this will be their easiest fixture until the end of the season. Heidenheim have only three wins in 14 away games this season and concede an average of 2.00 goals per match.
However, we expect the visitors to score in this match as well, mostly because of Eintracht's poor defensive performance. The Eagles conceded at least one goal in 13 of their last 15 fixtures in all competitions. Given the importance of this clash for the visitors, we expect action on both ends.
This German Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Heidenheim will be played on and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Eintracht Frankfurt vs Heidenheim prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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