Preview: Freiburg vs Heidenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Desperate to avoid being cut adrift in the Bundesliga, bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim will travel to face in-form Freiburg at Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday.

Die Breisgau-Brasilianer could make it four wins on the bounce this weekend, while FCH could secure back-to-back victories for the first time in 2026.

Match preview

Julian Schuster's Freiburg are likely to miss out on reaching the Bundesliga's top six this season, but they head into this clash in excellent form overall, and will be keen to maintain their momentum as they push for continental glory.

On Thursday, Die Breisgau-Brasilianer followed up their 3-0 triumph in the first leg by beating Celta Vigo 3-1 in the second part of their Europa League quarter-final, a dominant win that saw the club reach their first-ever European semi-final.

That impressive win against their La Liga opponents also means that Schuster's side have now come out on top in five of their last six games across all competitions, a record only marred by a narrow 3-2 defeat against Bayern Munich on April 4.

Returning to domestic action, Freiburg sit eighth in the Bundesliga, where their tally of 40 points has them 11 behind sixth-placed Hoffenheim with just five matches to play in the German top flight.

Despite being in strong form overall, Die Breisgau-Brasilianer have been lacklustre domestically this term, and with three losses, one draw and two wins from their last six in the division, it remains to be seen whether Freiburg can turn their recent performances into league points.

Adding to the feeling of uncertainty is the fact that Sunday's hosts have failed to triumph in any of their last three Bundesliga games at Europa-Park Stadion, losing twice and drawing once - 3-3 against Bayer Leverkusen on March 7.

Meanwhile, Frank Schmidt's Heidenheim survived in the Bundesliga by way of the relegation playoff in 2024-25, but they will need to pull off a minor miracle if they are to qualify for the showdown this time around.

FCH are currently sat at the bottom of the league with just 19 points, a total that has left the club seven behind 16th-placed St Pauli, and nine short of automatic safety.

Considering that there are only five matches left in 2025-26, Schmidt's men will need to suddenly find a way to grind out wins, but after securing just four victories throughout the campaign so far, such a drastic turnaround would be unprecedented.

However, Heidenheim come into this weekend's clash on the back of a three-game unbeaten run that culminated in a 3-1 win over Union Berlin most recently, a staggering stretch in itself given that the team had lost seven of their prior eight matches.

Sunday's visitors also ended a four-game losing streak on the road in their last away outing - drawing 2-2 with Borussia Monchengladbach - and if they can repeat their commendable showing from March 21's 3-3 stalemate against Leverkusen, then FCH could have a slim chance in this contest.

Freiburg Bundesliga form:

Freiburg form (all competitions):

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

Team News

Freiburg will be without centre-back Max Rosenfelder this weekend as he recovers from a hamstring injury, though Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart should be on hand to start at the heart of Schuster's defence.

In midfield, long-term absentee Daniel-Kofi Kyereh remains sidelined as he closes in on a return from his slew of knee injuries, while Patrick Osterhage is working his way back from a knee problem of his own.

With that in mind, expect to see Maximilian Eggestein and Johan Manzambi operate in a double pivot behind an attacking trio of Jan-Niklas Beste, Lucas Holer and Vincenzo Grifo, all of whom will be supporting striker Igor Matanovic.

As for Heidenheim, centre-back Benedikt Gimber has missed training this week and was ruled out of this clash by Schmidt, while left-back Leart Paqarada is out with a knee injury.

In their absence, Patrick Mainka and Jonas Fohrenbach look set to start at centre-half, flanked by full-backs Marnon-Thomas Busch and Hennes Behrens.

Elsewhere, attacking midfielder Sirlord Conteh will miss the rest of the campaign with a knee injury, so Julian Niehues and Jan Schoppner are likely to line up in the centre of the park, platforming a strike partnership of Marvin Pieringer and Budu Zivzivadze, given that Mikkel Kaufmann (calf) is unavailable.

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Atubolu; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Manzambi; Beste, Holer, Grifo; Matanovic

Heidenheim possible starting lineup:

Ramaj; Busch, Mainka, Fohrenbach, Behrens; Dinkci, Niehues, Schoppner, Honsak; Pieringer, Zivzivadze