Dortmund – Heidenheim

Spectators at the huge stadium in Dortmund won’t see many goals

The eight-time German champions finished last season worse than the previous eight Bundesliga titles. However, a fifth-place finish will not prevent Borussia from qualifying for the 2024/2025 Champions League. In addition, the Bumblebees have been forgiven a lot by their fans for reaching the final of Europe's elite tournament, a hard-fought loss to Madrid. The Dortmund club strengthened its attack and defence in the off-season, expecting to win their first trophy in four years at the end of the new season. Heidenheim only made their Bundesliga debut last season. The team not only retained their place in the division, but also took the edge of the European Cup zone and have already secured the right to participate in the main round of the Conference League. The upcoming round Heidenheim will meet as the leader of the championship, but in Dortmund modest club awaits the first serious test of the current season. Bookmakers have identified the home team as favourites for the upcoming encounter, offering odds of 1.35 on their victory. Borussia Dortmund, having sold Füllkrug in the off-season, acquired two proven forwards for the striker position: Girassi and Bayer. The former shone last season for Stuttgart, the latter for Hoffenheim. So far, both players have not scored, and the Bumblebees have won and drawn once each. Heidenheim lost two key players in the off-season. Forward Tim Kleindienst, who moved to Borussia Gladbach, and Jan-Niklas Beste, who went to Benfica, left the team. Having received 15 million euros for these players, the club decided to replace the losses with not too expensive but experienced players. In the first official match of the season, Heidenheim left no stone unturned against the representative of the South-West Regional League in the German Cup, beating them 4-0. After that, the team defeated St Pauli (2-0) away and Augsburg (4-0) at home. Victories in the Bundesliga "diluted" two wins in meetings with Hecken in the final stage of the Conference League qualification. In total, Heidenheim now have five wins in five matches of the new season and lead the Bundesliga on goal difference (6:0). Most likely, the guests will play disciplined in defence, and there will be few goals scored in the match.