Preview:Heidenheim vs Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

The Bundesliga is back after the first international break of the season, with Heidenheim hosting Borussia Dortmund at the Voith-Arena this Saturday afternoon.

The hosts are still on the hunt for their first points of the new campaign following a winless start, while BVB thrilled their fans with their goalscoring ability in the opening two rounds of the competition.

Match preview

Heidenheim saved their top tier status by the skin of their teeth last season, needing a stoppage time winner to overcome Elversberg in a playoff tie last May.

The club won just eight of their 34 league matches last term, conceding a whopping 64 goals across the campaign – the fourth-worst defensive record in the Bundesliga that season.

Frank Schmidt, who is the longest serving head coach in the history of German professional football, is famous for punching above his weight. However, early results suggest he may need to brace for another tough season.

Heidenheim’s 3-1 defeat to Wolfsburg on the opening weekend of the season was disappointing, while their 2-0 loss away at RB Leipzig did not show much improvement.

Things are not about to get any easier, as the club welcome German giants Borussia Dortmund to the Voith-Arena.

Speaking of the Black and Yellow, Niko Kovac and his men kicked off their campaign with a strong emphasis on scoring goals.

Fans did not see a lot of that in their DFB-Pokal opener – which ended in a slender 1-0 victory away at Rot-Weiss Essen. However, their following two games in the league saw Dortmund rattle the net on six occasions.

The first three arrived in a thrilling 3-3 draw away at St Pauli on the opening weekend of the season; Dortmund squandered a 3-1 lead in the final minutes of the contest in what proved to be a wild encounter at the Millerntor.

Nevertheless, BVB came back strong a week later as they thrashed Union Berlin 3-0 in front of over 80,000 fans in their first home game of the campaign; Serhou Guirassy bagged two of the goals as Dortmund sent a statement of intent to the rest of the competition.

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

L L

Heidenheim form (all competitions):

W L L

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

D W

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

W D W

Team News

Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck has resumed partial training, five months after sustaining a serious knee injury. While he is not ready for Saturday’s game, this news has been well received by the fans.

Niklas Sule is currently sidelined with persistent calf muscle problems, which are expected to keep him out until October.

Julian Brandt missed out on Germany's World Cup qualifiers after undergoing wrist surgery; with that in mind, he is unlikely to feature this weekend.

New signing Fabio Silva will join them on the sidelines as he looks to complete his recovery from a muscle problem.

Dortmund’s Guirassy will lead the attack, having scored 18 goals this calendar year – only Kylian Mbappe has managed more across Europe’s top five leagues.

Heidenheim, meanwhile, will be without forward Marvin Pieringer. The 25-year-old is struggling with an ankle problem and is expected back in October.

Georgia international Budu Zivzivadze is expected to lead the attacking line in his absence, despite a couple of poor performances in his two Bundesliga appearances this season.

Heidenheim possible starting lineup: Ramaj; Siersleben, Gimber, Mainka; Fohrenbach, Kerber, Dorsch, Busch; Ibrahimovic, Honsak; Zivzivadze

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup: Kobel; Bensebaini, Anton, Anselmino; Svensson, Bellingham, Sabitzer, Couto; Adeyemi, Beier; Guirassy

We say: Heidenheim 1-3 Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund are struggling with some high-profile injuries at the moment, but that has not stopped them from scoring six goals in their opening two games.

We are backing the Black and Yellow to take their momentum into the weekend and pick up another convincing win against a poor Heidenheim side.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.