Highlights

Matchday 31

FINAL

Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor

1. FC Heidenheim 1846

90'

DovedanNikola Dovedan

B. Dankert

Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor

Full-time: Darmstadt 0-1 Heidenheim

The Lillies are relegated to the second division following a narrow 1-0 defeat against Heidenheim. The game appeared to be heading towards a goalless draw, but late on, Nikola Dovedan finished off a quick counter-attack to give his side all three points. The result now means Darmstadt can finish no higher than 17th in the table. Heidenheim, meanwhile, more up to 10th.

90'

+ 7

DARMSTADT RELEGATED

Darmstadt are relegated to Bundesliga 2.

Full-time

90'

+ 4

Substitution

Florian Pick

Jan-Niklas Beste

90'

+ 2

Heidenheim break Darmstadt hearts

Darmstadt are now on the brink of relegation as Heidenheim break quickly, with Dovedan bundling into the bottom corner. That is surely that now.

90'

Nikola Dovedan

GOAL!

0:1

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

64 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

5.91 m

90'

SituationNo goal

ReviewOffside?

DecisionGoal

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Jan-Niklas Beste33.74km/h

Tim Skarke33.27km/h

Christoph Zimmermann33.17km/h

87'

Plenty of running

You can't knock Darmstadt's effort!

Distance run (km)

107.4

105.8

86'

Justvan over

Darmstadt are exerting more pressure now, but they will need to be more precise than that effort, which flies well over the bar.

83'

Substitution

Christian Kühlwetter

Eren Dinkçi

80'

Substitution

Mathias Honsak

Emir Karic

80'

10 minutes left

Can Darmstadt find a winner to stay alive in the top flight?

80'

Substitution

Gerrit Holtmann

Oscar Vilhelmsson

76'

Vilhelmsson thwarted

Müller tips the striker's shot over the bar for a corner, which Pfeiffer ultimately heads wide of the post. Time running out for Darmstadt.

69'

Substitution

Nikola Dovedan

Kevin Sessa

69'

Substitution

Denis Thomalla

Marvin Pieringer

67'

Heidenheim on top

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

The visitors have had the best chances so far, but have been unable to find the back of the net.

xGoals

0.46

1.39

Goals

66'

Müller rescues Heidenheim

Nürnberger's free-kick is heading into the top corner until Müller intervenes, pushing the set-piece to safety.

63'

Substitution

Julian Justvan

Tobias Kempe

60'

Yellow card

Tobias Kempe

30 minutes remaining

Lieberknecht has around a third of this encounter left to inspire his side to victory.

58'

Kleindienst denied

Schuhen makes a second top-quality save for his side, keeping out Kleindienst fierce strike from distance.

55'

Ball Recovery Time

Ball Recovery Time gives the time in seconds in which it takes a team to win back the ball following a loss of possession. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about a team's style of play. Only time when the ball is in play is counted (i.e. no breaks in play such as for goal-kicks, throw-ins etc).

SVD

HDH

16.2 s

13.1 s

52'

Expect goals

These two teams improve after the break - Heidenheim have scored their last 11 goals in the second half, while Darmstadt have struck their previous five following the interval too.

52'

Yellow card

Emir Karic

46'

Skarke denied

A matter of seconds into the second period, and the Lilies have their best opening. Skarke's attempt is saved well by Müller between the sticks - that is exactly the intense start Lieberknecht will have been after.

46'

Back underway

Darmstadt get us under way once more.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Darmstadt 0-0 Heidenheim

As it stands, Darmstadt will be relegated to the second tier as the first half ends goalless. There weren't a host of chances before the break, but Marcel Schuhen needed to produce a brilliant stop to deny Patrick Mainka's header. A big 45 minutes coming up for the hosts.

Half-time

43'

Yellow card

Benedikt Gimber

42'

Over

We know Beste can strike them, and he connects with this volley sweetly from 25 yards too. On this occasion, though, it is always rising as it flies over the crossbar.

38'

Pieringer wide

A first-time effort from the forward flashes narrowly beyond the post. Heidenheim are in the ascendancy at the moment and look the more likely to score.

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Jan-Niklas Beste33.57km/h

Kevin Sessa32.72km/h

Eren Sami Dinkci32.27km/h

27'

Nürnberger wide

Another chance from Nürnberger from a similar position as the previous one. Again, though, his attempt is off the target.

27'

Schuhen save!

Mainka rises highest in the box to head towards goal, and only a strong Schuhen hand stops him from breaking the deadlock. Still all square!

Hard-fought

Neither side is giving an inch so far here.

17'

Kleindienst wide

Heidenheim's top goalscorer will have fancied his chances from the edge of the box. There is plenty of venom in the strike, too, but it sails wide of the post.

16'

Evenly-matched

Not much separating the two sides in terms of possession at the moment.

Possession (%)

5347

10'

Mainz draw 1-1 with Cologne

That result means that a victory for Darmstadt will see them stave off relegation for another week.

10'

Chance!

There is not enough power on Dinkçi's low shot. Still, a warning side for Darmstadt early on as to what their opponents can create.

Huge chance!

An early, fantastic opportunity for the hosts as they maintain hope of staying in the Bundesliga. A Darmstadt move finds its way to Nürnberger in the area, but he can only drill his effort narrowly over the bar!

We're off!

We're underway here in Darmstadt!

Kick-off!

Not long to go!

The teams are on the pitch and ready to get underway!

Darmstadt team news

Meanwhile, Torsten Lieberknecht makes four changes to his side for this clash. In come Christoph Zimmerman, Emir Karic, Jannik Müller and Luca Pfeiffer, while Clemens Riedel, Matthias Bader, Klaus Gjasula and Aaron Seydel make way.

Heidenheim team news

Frank Schmidt makes just two changes to the team that lost against Leipzig last time out. They are both forced, too, as Lennard Maloney is struggling with a shoulder injury, while Omar Traoré is suspended - Jan Schöppner and Norman Theuerkauf replace them respectively.

Darmstadt starting XI

Schuhen - Zimmerman, Klarer, Maglica - Karic, J. Müller, Kempe (c), Nürnberger - Skarke, Pfeiffer, Vilhelmsson

Darmstadt subs

Behrens, Isherwood, Schnellhardt, A. Müller, Justvan, Honsak, Holtmann, Torsiello, Arania

Heideheim starting XI

Müller - Theuerkauf, Mainka (c), Gimber, Föhrenbach - Sessa, Schöppner - Dinkçi, Pieringer, Beste - Kleindienst

Heidenheim subs

Eicher, Siersleben, Jarju, Pick, Dovedan, Janeš, Schimmer, Thomalla, Kühlwetter

Schmidt's view on Darmstadt

"Obviously the outlook in Darmstadt isn’t good. It’ll be difficult for them to stay up – but they themselves said that and then they did the business in Cologne last week. For them it’s about trying everything they can to get as many points as possible, rather than just writing the season off already. So we’re expecting to face a team who will try to beat us. It’ll be an emotional game. One where you have to stand up and be counted."

Lieberknecht's view on Heidenheim

"Heidenheim have been brilliant this season, and we can only praise them for that. The performances have been fantastic. They managed to keep the core of the team that got them promoted intact. I have great respect for the way they've managed to stay in the league. On a personal level, as a friend of Frank Schmidt, I'm delighted for them."

Probable line-ups

Who’s set to play this weekend? Who’s going to miss out? Keep up to date with all the latest team news right here!

Reunion

Darmstadt's top scorer is Tim Skarke with eight Bundesliga goals. The attacker was born in Heidenheim and played for the club for 11 years up until 2019.

Heidenheim on the up

Heidenheim lost six of their first seven away games in the Bundesliga this season. However, they have since turned things around and only suffered one defeat in their subsequent eight league matches on their travels.

2:03

Watch: The start of Darmstadt's great escape?

Darmstadt staved off relegation - for now at least - with a 2-0 win against fellow strugglers Cologne. They'll need another victory here if they are to survive: 17th place is 10 points away, with just 12 remaining to play for.

2:03

Watch: Heidenheim lose against Leipzig

Heidenheim battled well against high-flying Leipzig last weekend, but Loïs Openda's late goal gave Die Roten Bullen all three points.

2:03

Watch: Previous meeting - Heidenheim 3-2 Darmstadt

Mainka scored twice in quick succession as Heidenheim came from behind to retake the lead, and ultimately win, against Darmstadt back on Matchday 14.

Hello and welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 31 fixture between Darmstadt and Heidenheim.