Heidenheim vs. SC Freiburg preview: The longest-serving trainers battle
Legendary managers Frank Schmidt and Christian Streich will meet on Matchday 16, as both sides look to continue their strong league form.
Heidenheim
With back-to-back wins over Darmstadt and Mainz, Heidenheim find themselves well clear of the current relegation positions. It’s been a superb season thus far, as a berth for a second straight Bundesliga season would be quite the gift for the small, community-based club.
The trio of Tim Kleindienst, Jan-Niklas Beste, and Erin Dinkci have impressed and found freedom with Heidenheim’s strong defensive structure behind them. Three points would give Heidenheim their 6th win of the campaign and could potentially earn the club a spot in the top 10.
When asked about Freiburg, Frank Schmidt said, "A really good team, playful and running. They are also good at everything. I have to be careful not to come out as a big fan."
Team News
Omar Traore returned to team training on Monday and has a chance of returning to the squad. Marnon Busch could return to the starting lineup, while Denis Thomalla is still recovering from a sickness and will likely start on the bench. Long-term absentees Thomas Keller and Elidon Qenaj remain out.
SC Freiburg
Freiburg have won four of their last five competitive games and have kept a clean sheet in all four of them. They found their next Europa League opponent in Lens on Monday, but the focus has turned to Heidenheim to close out the calendar year.
The injury bug has definitely hit the Breisgau squad, as Christian Streich mentioned in his presser that he may only bring five substitutes on Wednesday. Manuel Gulde will continue in defense alongside Matthias Ginter, while in-form Michael Gregoritsch should return to the starting lineup.
Merlin Röhl has been the key for Freiburg offensively and he should continue in an important no. 10 role.
Streich commented, “We have a lot of respect for Heidenheim. I can well imagine that they will continue to play in the Bundesliga in the coming years. - We now have to go into this game with maximum attitude and sharpness, with maximum hunger. Otherwise we will be eaten up by Heidenheim.”
Team News
Philipp Lienhart will remain out, but is expected to return in the new year. In brighter news, captain Christian Günter has returned to training, but isn’t quite ready to play. At minimum, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Kenneth Schmidt, Maximilian Philipp, and Max Rosenfelder are out.