Preview:Heidenheim vs Werder Bremen - prediction, team news, lineups

With both hoping to avoid relegation this season, Heidenheim will welcome Werder Bremen to Voith-Arena on Saturday in the seventh matchweek of the 2025-26 Bundesliga.

The 18th-placed hosts are last with three points following their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Stuttgart on October 5, and they are six places and four points below the Green-Whites, who won 1-0 against St Pauli on October 4.

Match preview

Heidenheim largely restricted Stuttgart to speculative long-range efforts, but head coach Frank Schmidt will be alarmed that his players only mustered four shots inside the box, with two of those attempts taking place from the 84th minute onwards.

The hosts have conceded the first goal in six of their past seven in the league, while they have netted the fewest times in the German top flight (four).

Last campaign's clashes between the sides resulted in two high-scoring affairs, with Heidenheim losing 4-1 at Voith-Arena in May and drawing 3-3 in the reverse fixture in January.

Schmidt has only guided his side to one league win in six, suffering five defeats, and his team also ended 2024-25 having lost four, drawn one and won two of their final seven Bundesliga games.

Heidenheim beat Augsburg 2-1 on September 29 in their most recent home match, their first top-flight victory at Voith-Arena in eight, a stretch in which they lost on five occasions.

Werder Bremen netted their winning goal against St Pauli just two minutes into the contest, and they kept their second clean sheet in four games.

Bremen's performances at the back have been poor given they have conceded three or more goals on four occasions in their six league outings.

Only Eintracht Frankfurt (16) have conceded more than Horst Steffen's side (14), though only Augsburg (11) have scored more in the bottom 11 (nine).

The Green-Whites' form has been concerning, as while they won five and drew three of their final eight matches of 2024-25, they have lost five and triumphed in just two of their seven games this term.

Steffen's team head to Voith-Arena on the back of three losses in four away fixtures, with the club conceding four goals in each of their two defeats on the road in the Bundesliga.

Heidenheim Bundesliga form:

Heidenheim form (all competitions):

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

Team News

Heidenheim are facing somewhat of a crisis in attack given Marvin Pieringer and Sirlord Conteh will both be absent on Saturday.

Expect to see a frontline consisting of Luca Kerber, Mikkel Kaufmann and Arijon Ibrahimovic, though it remains to be seen how well natural midfielder Kerber can adapt to playing in an advanced role.

Werder Bremen remain hampered by a number of injuries, including to defenders Niklas Stark and Maximilian Wober.

Amos Pieper and Marco Friedl have often been selected in the heart of defence, and Steffen may have no choice but to pair the duo together.

Midfielders Jens Stage and Senne Lynen are certain to start in a double pivot, while Justin Njinmah could be supported by number 10 Cameron Puertas.

Heidenheim possible starting lineup:

Ramaj; Traore, Mainka, Siersleben, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Niehues, Dorsch; Kerber, Kaufmann, Ibrahimovic

Werder Bremen possible starting lineup:

Hein; Sugawara, Pieper, Friedl, Coulibaly; Stage, Lynen; Schmid, Puertas, Mbangula; Njinmah

We say: Heidenheim 1-2 Werder Bremen

Heidenheim will be facing a team that have been even more porous than they have been this term, and they should look to take advantage of the visitors' vulnerabilities.

However, the hosts' have been the worst offensive side in the Bundesliga, whereas Werder Bremen have at least posed a threat in the final third, so it would not be surprising if the Green-Whites came out on top.

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