After both sides began their respective campaigns with victories, albeit with seemingly different ambitions for the season ahead, Hertha BSC and Heidenheim will lock horns at the Olympiastadion on Saturday as they look to make it two wins from two.
Despite plenty of negative noise surrounding the club during pre-season, with Hertha facing clear financial restraints, the departures of key players and a lack of new arrivals, Stefan Leitl’s side managed to put all of that to one side last Friday. A hard-fought and well-earned victory provided plenty of positives to build on heading into matchday two.
A trip to Bochum awaited Hertha in the opening game of the 2. Bundesliga season, with many expecting the hosts to come out on top. Hertha and Sebastian Grønning had other ideas, however, as youngster Soufian Gouram set up the Dane on his first start for the club to secure all three points in the Ruhrpott.
The result spoiled Bochum’s season-opening party and gave Hertha their first victory on the opening day in five years.
Leitl is now hoping to carry that momentum from the Ruhr region into Hertha’s first home fixture of the campaign.
“We took a lot of positives from the game; the lads were encouraged in their approach. Now we continue on Saturday; we want to bring this level of performance to the field week after week,” Leitl said.
Heidenheim will be looking to make an immediate return to the Bundesliga following their relegation last season. With long-serving head coach Frank Schmidt remaining in charge and much of the club’s core squad still intact apart from several departing loanees, there is no reason why they cannot mount a promotion challenge at the first time of asking.
They made a successful, if not perfect, return to the 2. Bundesliga on matchday one. Facing newly promoted Osnabrück, Heidenheim came through an enthralling seven-goal encounter with a 4-3 victory. Budu Zivzivadze, Marcel Costly, Jan Schöppner and Marvin Pieringer all found the net to secure the points.
Schmidt is expecting an intense contest at the Olympiastadion on Saturday:
“It will probably be like this: two teams that are prepared to push high and defend intensely. Then it’s about breaking down those one-on-one situations, getting in behind, and bypassing their counter-pressing. We’ve practiced that. Now we have to show that we can put it into practice.”
The two sides have only met twice competitively, with both encounters coming in the DFB-Pokal. Hertha edged a 2-1 victory at home in 2024, while they also came out on top away from home in 2016, winning 3-2. Saturday’s clash will therefore mark the first competitive league meeting between the two sides.
Leitl and Schmidt have faced each other nine times previously, with Schmidt holding the advantage. The Heidenheim coach has won four of those encounters, while Leitl has claimed three victories.
Team news
Hertha BSC: Gustav Christensen and Jon Dagur Þorsteinsson are set to miss out.
1. FC Heidenheim: Both Christian and Sirlord Conteh are unavailable.
Predicted lineups
Hertha BSC (4-2-3-1): Gersbeck; Eitschberger, Gechter, Kolbe, Zeefuik; Sessa, Seguin; Winkler, Gouram, Brekalo; Grønning.
1. FC Heidenheim (4-1-4-1): Feller; Mhmadi, Mainka, Siersleben, Föhrenbach; Schöppner; Costly, Pieringer, Beck, Honsak; Zivzivadze.