Will Heidenheim save themselves from relegation at the last minute and can they kill Bayer Leverkusen's ambitions of winning the title again? This fixture could decide the future of both sides.
Heidenheim's achievement last season was a pure example of an overachieving team whose place is far from among the top teams. The team qualified for the UEFA Conference League after their debut season in the Bundesliga but are fighting for survival in the current campaign.
They were last in the standings until two rounds ago but have recorded back-to-back wins and are now just one win away from potentially exiting the drop zone. Considering St. Pauli's poor form, FCH may be able to pull away with seven rounds remaining.
However, on the other side stand Bayer Leverkusen, who suffered another heavy blow in their 2-1 loss to Arminia Bielefeld. The third-division team managed to knock them out in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup, and now the team's only trophy option is defending their Bundesliga title.
How the bookies view it: Leverkusen with a huge advantage
Bookmakers give Bayer Leverkusen a huge advantage, but in recent weeks, we've seen how that doesn't matter, and even the most modest teams have a chance to win. You can still pick Heidenheim at 11/2, the draw at 15/4 or Bayer Leverkusen at 9/20.
Recent head to head:
Heidenheim and Bayer Leverkusen have met a total of four times in official matches, whereas last season was FCH's debut in the elite. Their first official meeting was in 2019, when Heidenham knocked Leverkusen out of the DFB Pokal 2-1. But Bayer have been absolutely faultless in their last three games over the last year and a half, winning all by a combined goal difference of 11-4. The first match this season ended at 5-2.
Players to watch
Patrik Schick recorded two consecutive poor performances and it's about time he returned to scoring goals. There's hardly a better opponent for that than Heidenheim. The Czech scored a hat-trick in the first game of the season (5-2) and will surely be motivated.
Perhaps the expectations on him are too high, but the absence of Florian Wirtz is felt a lot and there is no other player in the Leverkusen squad at the moment who has Schick's ability.
Probable line-ups
Heidenheim: Muller, Busch, Gimber, Mainka, Kratzig, Dorsch, Schoppner, Traore, Beck, Zivzivadze, Pieringer
Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky, Tah, Andrich, Hincapie, Grimaldo, Xhaka, Palacios, Frimpong, Adli, Schick, Buendia
Anything else catch the eye?
Xabi Alonso's team is not allowed any mistakes for the rest of the season. Bayern Munich are six points ahead and even a draw could mean the end of the title fight. The fact is that Leverkusen's form overall is not good, but at the same time, they are the team with the best form in the Bundesliga, with four wins in the last five rounds.
Heidenheim have played two wonderful games, but that doesn't change the fact that they are one of the weakest sides in the league and have 17 losses in 27 rounds. We expect to see a very different Bayer Leverkusen and the team to win convincingly, just like they did in the first clash against Heidenheim. But we certainly expect the hosts to score as well, as Leverkusen's defense is far from its optimal form.
This German Bundesliga match between Heidenheim and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on and kick off at 14:30. Check below for our tipsters best Heidenheim vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
GambleAware