Heidenheim vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Can BVB continue their winning run?
Borussia Dortmund will attempt to claim a fourth consecutive victory when they face Heidenheim on Friday.
Heidenheim
Heidenheim look well set to extend their top-flight stay into a second season, having picked up 23 points from 19 matches. Impressively, Heidenheim have put together a six-game unbeaten league run since losing to RB Leipzig at the start of December. After recording three consecutive victories, Frank Schmidt’s side have gone on to play out three straight 1-1 draws against Köln, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim.
Eren Dinkçi scored his seventh league goal of the season to give his side the lead against Hoffenheim. However, a Moritz Jenz own goal ensured the contest finished all square. Following their recent away trip, Heidenheim will return home for Friday’s tricky home meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
Heidenheim will fancy their chances of troubling Dortmund, having won three and drawn two of their last five home matches in the Bundesliga. The hosts can also take confidence from the fact they took a point of die Schwarzgelben in the reverse fixture.
Team News
Benedikt Gimber, Thomas Keller and Elidon Qenaj are expected to miss out, while Denis Thomalla is a doubt due to illness.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund have made an exceptional start to 2024, having put together a three-game winning run. They recorded consecutive away victories over Darmstadt and Köln, before they clinched a 3-1 win over Bochum last weekend thanks to a Niclas Füllkrug hat-trick.
The Germany international dispatched his sixth-minute spot-kick to give Dortmund an early lead. However, Nico Schlotterbeck's own goal ensured the two sides went into the break on level terms. With just under 20 minutes remaining, Füllkrug restored his side’s slender advantage, before he converted his second penalty of the game to make sure of the three points.
As a result of the victory, Dortmund moved above RB Leipzig and into fourth position. While they may have won their last three matches, a title tilt appears to be out of the question with 13 points separating them from leaders, Bayer Leverkusen.
Their current focus will be on Friday's contest where they have the chance to claim a third consecutive away victory without conceding.
Team News
Felix Nmecha, Julien Duranville, Karim Adeyemi, Julian Ryerson and Jadon Sancho are unlikely to feature because of injury. As for Sebastien Haller, he is currently representing the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, there are also doubts over the fitness of Gregor Kobel, Julian Brandt and Marco Reus due to illness.