Regensburg – Heidenheim

The opponents will not force the issue in the first half

By historical standards, the modest Heidenheim played in the 2007/2008 season in the Regional League, the fourth ranked league in German football. It was then that Frank Schmidt took charge of the team, and no one imagined that the club would be one step away from relegation to the Bundesliga a decade and a half later. Just two years after Schmidt's arrival, the team rose to the Third Division, won it five seasons later and advanced to Germany's second-best division. A few years ago, Heidenheim came close to qualifying for the Bundesliga for the first time, but lost to Werder in the knockout stages. Before the final round of the current season, Schmidt's team is one point ahead of third-placed Hamburg. To be promoted directly, Heidenheim only need to beat their upcoming opponents. Any other result will suit the team, only in case of losing points to the rival. Regensburg have objectively no chance of remaining in the second division. Even if the hosts win and sixteenth-placed Arminia loses, the teams will have equal points, but the club from Bielefeld will not be able to cancel out their fifteen-goal advantage under any scenario. Bookmakers have identified the visitors as the favourites for the meeting, offering odds of 1.49 for their victory. Regensburg have played six seasons in the Second Bundesliga, but the last three have been a steady struggle for survival. The team won last round in Braunschweig, but the standings show that those three points will not help them to keep their place in the division. Before the previous round, Regensburg had picked up just two points from a possible 21 in seven meetings in the Second Bundesliga. On 10 May, the club appointed the American as coach, with the aim of preparing him for the realities of the Third Division. Heidenheim can still clinch the top spot if Bundesliga title holders Darmstadt 98 lose their final game, while Schmidt's men win theirs. That said, all the visitors' thoughts should be on the win itself. Heidenheim played three games in May, winning just one of them. The visitors will start the game very cautiously, so as not to get into trouble early on. The first half will not be too productive.