Preview: Heidenheim vs FC Koln - prediction, team news, lineups

Fighting for Bundesliga survival, relegation-threatened Heidenheim will welcome promoted club FC Koln to Voith-Arena on Saturday.

FCH will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat, while the Billy Goats will be desperate to end their dire winless run in the top flight.

Match preview

Frank Schmidt's Heidenheim stayed up by winning the relegation playoff in 2024-25, but they are currently languishing in the automatic drop zone at the start of 2026.

FCH thought they had turned a corner during the November-to-December transition when they earned consecutive victories - a 2-1 triumph over Union Berlin and a win by the same scoreline against Freiburg.

However, Schmidt's side followed up those crucial results with back-to-back losses and come into this clash hoping to forget their demoralising 4-0 battering at the hands of Bayern Munich on December 21.

That latest disappointment has Heidenheim 17th in the table with just 11 points to their name as the top flight returns from the winter break.

Looking at the situation from an optimistic perspective, fans would highlight that FCH are only one point shy of 16th-placed St. Pauli, as well as four behind 15th-placed Augsburg.

On the other hand, Schmidt's men have lost three of their last five home games, and supporters would be forgiven for harbouring doubts about their team's chances this weekend, even up against a struggling promoted club.

Meanwhile, Lukas Kwasniok's Koln enjoyed a strong start to life back in the Bundesliga, but it is fair to say that they are far from safe considering their consistently poor results at the tail end of 2025.

In their final fixture of the year, the Billy Goats were downed 1-0 on their own turf by Union Berlin, extending their winless run to six games - a stretch that features just two draws and makes them the most out-of-form team in the division in that period.

Losing once again means that Kwasniok's side start 2026 11th in the top flight, where their tally of 16 points has them a mere four above the bottom three.

Desperate to stop their descent down the table, Koln will take heart from the fact that they are set to face one of the favourites for relegation, but the visitors will also be wary after tasting defeat in three of their last four away games.

A return to winning ways could see the Billy Goats leapfrog Werder Bremen and climb up to 10th in a best-case scenario, though fans will be more concerned that just two points separate them from 15th.

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

FC Koln Bundesliga form:

Team News

Heidenheim will be without goalkeeper Frank Feller once again, though he is expected to be back in contention later this month, unlike left-back Leart Paqarada, who is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign with a knee injury of his own.

With that in mind, loanee shot-stopper Diant Ramaj should line up between the sticks, protected by a backline of Marnon Busch, Patrick Mainka, Tim Siersleben and Jonas Fohrenbach.

Elsewhere, striker Budu Zivzivadze is closing in on a comeback from his knee injury layoff but is likely to miss out on Saturday, with Marvin Pieringer and Mathias Honsak set to start in a partnership up top.

As for Koln, they are looking light at the heart of their defence, with centre-backs Timo Hubers, Luca Kilian and Joel Schmied all injured, though the latter could return to action in the coming weeks.

The Billy Goats' woes are also compounded by the fact that centre-half Rav van den Berg is suspended, so Kwasniok may opt for a back three of Sebastian Sebulonsen, Eric Martel and Dominique Heintz on Saturday.

Heidenheim possible starting lineup:

Ramaj; Busch, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Niehues, Dorsch; Ibrahimovic, Pieringer, Honsak

FC Koln possible starting lineup:

Schwabe; Sebulonsen, Martel, Heintz; Thielmann, Johannesson, Krauss, Lund; Kaminski, El Mala; Bulter

We say: Heidenheim 1-1 FC Koln

Heidenheim have been poor overall, but they will be cautiously hopeful of taking something from a game against the most out-of-form team in the Bundesliga.

Koln have struggled on the road in particular, but they will be desperate to escape with a point from their trip to Voith-Arena, so expect to see a close-fought clash.

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