Highlights

All matches

FINAL

Voith-Arena

SV Elversberg

HonsakMathias Honsak

64'

SierslebenTim Siersleben

62'

42'

AsllaniFisnik Asllani

18'

PetkovLukas Petkov

S. Jablonski

Voith-Arena

Full-time: Heidenheim 2-2 Elversberg

All square after 90 minutes as Heidenheim fought back from 2-0 down at the break to level via goals from Siersleben and Honsak. It was no less than the hosts deserved in the end after an inspired second-half display led by the hard work of Scienza and Krätzig. That means everything is very much still to play for in Elversberg on Monday.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 3

Ebnoutalib tries his luck

Ebnoutalib has a go, but he can't get it on target. That could be that.

90'

+ 1

Three minutes added on

Will either side grab a late goal to take into Monday's game?

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.

Robin Salvatore Fellhauer33.96km/h

Florian Yves Le Joncour33.15km/h

Sirlord Calvin Conteh33.05km/h

89'

A game full of shots

Heidenheim have had more shots today than in any Bundesliga game all season.

Goal attempts

14off target

9on target

9off target

5on target

89'

Substitution

Younes Ebnoutalib

Fisnik Asllani

87'

Just three minutes remaining of normal time

Can either side grab a winner to take into the second leg?

86'

Substitution

Frederik Schmahl

Lukas Petkov

82'

A couple more efforts on goal from the hosts

First, Zivzivadze fires one over from a tough angle, and then Scienza does the same. Heidenheim look the more likely at the moment.

80'

Heidenheim now on top for xG

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).

Those goals have brought Heidenheim right back into the game, and the xG stats now reflect their superiority in the second half.

xGoals

3.06

1.96

Goals

78'

Substitution

Carlo Sickinger

Robin Fellhauer

78'

Substitution

Luca Schnellbacher

Tom Zimmerschied

76'

Substitution

Sirlord Conteh

Mathias Honsak

75'

A quieter few minutes

After the chaos of the two goals, the last few minutes have yielded fewer chances.

70'

Krätzig forces another save from Kristof

Krätzig has looked dangerous all night. This time, he beats his man down the outside and hits one, although Kristof reacts well to save.

69'

A bad five minutes for the visitors

Those goals have turned the game right on its head. Elversberg were heavy favourites to win just a few minutes ago.

61'

91.2 %

Now

22.2 %

And the hosts are level!

Wanner and Scienza work the ball well around the Elversberg area before the latter releases a low drive. Kristof gets down well to parry, but Honsak is there to gratefully gobble up the rebound. We are level once more.

64'

Mathias Honsak

GOAL!

2:2

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.

84 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

71.13 km/h

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.

5.86 m

The hosts have one back

Scienza breaks forward and wins a free-kick in a dangerous area. He takes it himself. Kristof parries his shot away, but straight into the path of Siersleben, who makes no mistake from close range. Game back on.

62'

Tim Siersleben

GOAL!

1:2

Goal probability

94 %

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.

6.75 m

59'

Honsak hits the bar

Traoré whips in a good cross and Honsak tries the spectacular. He gets good contact on his volley, but his effort rebounds away off the bar. Fantastic effort. Zivzivadze then has a huge chance seconds later, but he can't hit the target from close range.

58'

Damar forces a save

Damar works himself some space and shoots from a tight angle, but Müller is equal to it.

57'

Wanner tests the keeper

Heidenheim work the ball forward well. Wanner is then fed in down the left, he shoots from a difficult angle, but Kristof is again there to make a comfortable save.

55'

Frustration and silence

The Heidenheim players are getting more and more frustrated with each other and the home fans are feeling pretty subdued. They need some energy to bring back hope.

52'

Elversberg a real threat on the break

Asllani again finds himself in space in front of goal, although this time his effort is deflected behind for a corner.

48'

It could be 3-0

Baum again has too much freedom to find a cross and Damar is completely unchallenged in the centre. He makes good contact with the ball, but he can't direct his header on target. That was a big opportunity.

46'

Back underway

Schmidt has decided to make a triple change for Heidenheim at the break with Scienza, Wanner and Zivzivadze replacing Dorsch, Beck and Pieringer.

Kick-off!

1:39

Watch: The best of Elversberg in 2024/25

Been surprised by Elversberg's bold approach so far in this game? Don't be, they've been doing it all season. See for yourself...

45'

+ 6

Substitution

Léo Scienza

Niklas Dorsch

45'

+ 6

Substitution

Paul Wanner

Adrian Beck

45'

+ 6

Substitution

Budu Zivzivadze

Marvin Pieringer

Half-time: Heidenheim 0-2 Elversberg

Elversberg started this game nervously and Heidenheim had chances to take the lead, but Elversberg haven't looked back since Petkov's goal after 18 minutes. Asllani then added a second after 42 minutes, before Heidenheim thought they had a goal back through Traoré, only for it to be disallowed. At the break here, Elversberg are sitting pretty, but there is still a lot of football to be played.

Half-time

45'

+ 5

SituationGoal

ReviewOffside?

DecisionNo goal

45'

+ 3

Traoré has the ball in the net, but the goal is disallowed

Traoré thinks he has given Heidenheim a lifeline, but the goal is chalked off as Pieringer hampers a defender from an offside position. Krätzig's pass rolled all the way through to Traoré, who took the chance well, but after a review, the goal is disallowed.

45'

+ 2

Almost a way back

Siersleben nearly drags Heidenheim back into the game as he pounces on Krätzig's block in the Elversberg penalty area, but his shot is well saved.

45'

+ 1

Three minutes added on

Can Heidenheim answer back before the break?

The visitors double their lead

Elversberg scrap well to win the ball back high up the pitch before putting together a nice move to double their lead. Zimmerschied slips in Asllani and Elversberg's top scorer makes no mistake from just inside the box.

42'

Fisnik Asllani

GOAL!

0:2

Goal probability

45 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

74.7 km/h

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.

10.48 m

40'

Elversberg creating the better chances

xGoals

Although Heidenheim have had more shots, it is Elversberg that have the better xG and the lead on the scoreline.

xGoals

0.53

0.94

Goals

33'

That could have been 2-0

The visitors have a real chance for 2-0, but they fail to take it. Baum whips in a great cross that finds Asllani, he cushions it down into the path of Zimmerschied, but he drags his shot wide from close range.

31'

A bad omen for Heidenheim?

The hosts only managed to earn two points in the Bundesliga in 2024/25 from losing positions, and they find themselves behind again today.

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.

Robin Salvatore Fellhauer33.96km/h

Florian Yves Le Joncour33.15km/h

Lukas Emanuel Petkov33.05km/h

26'

Siersleben with a good effort

From the resulting corner, the ball falls to Siersleben, who hits it well, but again, there is an Elversberg player there to get in the way.

26'

Yellow card

Adrian Beck

25'

Beck almost bundles his way through

Another good bit of Heidenheim football leads to Beck breaking through a couple of challenges to get inside the box, but Baum is there to clear at the last second.

23'

Honsak has a go

Heidenehim try to answer back through Honsak, but his left-footed effort is straight forward enough for Kristof.

22'

Elversberg now the favourites

That goal now has Elversberg as the most likely winners of this game.

29.7 %

Now

56.9 %

The visitors lead!

A beautifully worked move sees Asllani feed in Petkov, he hits the bouncing ball first time with his left and finds the bottom corner with real power. A fantastic goal! How important could that be in the context of this play-off? Elversberg lead.

18'

Lukas Petkov

GOAL!

0:1

Goal probability

20 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

104.5 km/h

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.

15.72 m

17'

Beck hooks his shot just wide

Beck breaks forward to the edge of the box before feeding Krätzig. Krätzig then sends the ball back into Beck's path, but he doesn't catch his left-footed shot cleanly, and the ball drifts wide.

An exciting start

Both sides have started this game with the intent to score goals. It has been frantic in the opening 15 minutes.

11'

Heidenheim come forward again

The hosts move the ball forward at pace again with a low cross falling to Krätzig on the edge of the box. He hits a shot that is well blocked before being desperately scrambled away by the Elversberg defence.

First opportunity for the visitors

Elversberg work the ball forward well before Damar slots in Zimmerschied. He hits a powerful shot from the angle, but Müller gets down well to parry the ball behind.

Almost another huge chance

Dorsch feeds Pieringer through on the right and he has a lot of time to find a cross, but he can't find Krätzig. Pieringer was offside in the build-up, though.

A nervy start

Elversberg have struggled to keep possession in the early stages and the players seem somewhat nervous. Heidenheim have started this game with real intent.

What a start!

Elversberg get forward straight from kick-off and win a corner, but they then get hit on the counter straight from their own set-piece as Dorsch has a huge chance at the other end. He picks up the ball around halfway, and the only player in front of him is the goalkeeper. Dorsch looks to set himself before rounding the keeper, but he gets it wrong, goes down and appeals for a penalty. Nothing given.

We're underway

Can either side get themselves in front ahead of the return leg on Monday? A huge night awaits!

Kick-off!

Players walking on to the pitch

We're getting very close to kick-off now as both sets of players enter the field ahead of this huge clash.

Wanner greets his old teammates

Heidenheim's loanee Wanner spent last season on loan at Elversberg and he has just taken a moment now to greet his old teammates ahead of this vital clash.

The two longest serving managers in German professional football embrace before kick-off

Both of these coaches have been in charge of their respective sides for a number of years now. Horst Steffen took over at Elversberg in October 2018, whereas Frank Schmidt has been Heidenheim's coach for just a little longer. Over ten years longer, to be precise, having taken over the role in September of 2007.

More on that Heidenheim team

The hosts make two changes to the team that lost heavily on the final day at Bremen, with Krätzig and Busch coming in for Wanner and Gimber in what appears to be a return to a five-back formation.

More on that Elversberg team

Elversberg make just the one change from the side that beat Schalke 2-1 on the final day as Rohr comes in for the suspended Pinckert.

5:59

Watch: The best play-off-winning goals

There have been some stunning goals scored in this fixture over the years. Will we witness another one today?

Heidenheim starting XI

Müller – Busch, Mainka, Siersleben – Traoré, Dorsch, Schöppner, Krätzig – Honsak, Pieringer, Beck

Heidenheim subs

Feller, Gimber, Föhrenbach, Wanner, Niehues, Kerber, Scienza, Zivzivadze, Conteh

Elversberg starting XI

Kristof – Baum, Rohr, Le Joncour, Niebauer – Fellhauer, Şahin – Petkov, Damar, Zimmerschied – Asllani

Elversberg subs

Lehmann, Boss, Feil, Dürholtz, Schmahl, Sickinger, Schnellbacher, Gerezgiher, Ebnoutalib

Mainka on if this week is different to the rest of the season

“I believe that a certain normality should still be maintained. Of course, it's a special situation because it’s a do-or-die game, but it's not like we have to change everything. Instead, we need to bring what distinguishes us to the field.”

Patrick Mainka on Heidenheim's chances

“I am simply convinced that through our style of play, through our DNA, through intensity, through teamwork, through everyone being there for each other, we can shine in the relegation play-off matches.”

The favourites?

Of 26 relegation/promotion play-offs, 20 have been won by the Bundesliga side (77 per cent), thus making Heidenheim the statistical favourites. In fact, 11 of the last 12 play-offs have all been won by the side looking to avoid relegation.

New territory

Heidenheim, with 50,000 inhabitants, facing Elversberg, with 13,000 inhabitants, makes for the 'smallest' relegation/promotion play-off of all time between the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2! Additionally, if Elversberg prevail, the Saarlanders would become both the 'smallest' Bundesliga team ever and the 59th different team to have appeared in the Bundesliga.

Horst Steffen on facing Heidenheim

"They've put together a quality squad that can play in the Bundesliga and the Conference League. They are very flexible and can change in phases of the game… We’ll do our best to influence the game with our performance and then we have to hope that the opponent might not be so up for it so we can take advantage of that."

Frank Schmidt's thoughts on Horst Steffen

"For me, [Steffen] is the coach of the year. When I see what he has achieved with Elversberg, how he has managed to put together a team that plays such successful football. I have great respect for him. That's why I'm also looking forward to this clash, because we can show that we can hold our own against them."

Head-to-head

These teams have met just twice before, in the 2013/14 3. Liga. Heidenheim had the slight edge, winning 1-0 before the reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw.

Pieringer to step up

With seven goals, the striker is Heidenheim's top goalscorer this campaign in the Bundesliga. Frank Schmidt will be looking to him to make a difference here.

What a story

Elversberg have been on some journey to make it here. They were in the Regionalliga Southwest - the fourth tier of German football - in 2021/22, and this is just their second-ever campaign in Bundesliga 2. Can they go one step further and reach the elite?

Attacking threat

Heidenheim will need to be wary of Elversberg's attacking threat. Only Cologne managed more than their 64 goals, with Fisnik Asllani netting 18 of them. That being said, they aren't shabby at the other end, possessing the second tier's second-best defence with just 37 conceded.

2:03

Watch: Heidenheim 1-4 Bremen - highlights

With Bochum and Kiel confirmed as already down, Heidenheim knew they couldn't finish lower than 16th. There was a slender mathematical chance of them jumping into the safe house at the last, but a heavy home defeat to Werder Bremen confirmed their fate.

1:00

Watch: Schalke 1-2 Elversberg - highlights

Elversberg got the win they needed to be absolutely sure of their play-off berth by beating fallen giants Schalke on the final day of 2024/25. Lukas Petkov and Maurice Neubauer got the goals for the Saarland minnows.

What is the play-off?

The Bundesliga's play-off differs from more conventional fixtures referred to as play-offs that often feature four teams contesting a semi-final and a final. In Germany, the teams who finish 16th in the Bundesliga and third in Bundesliga 2 contest the two-legged promotion/relegation play-off - known in German simply as the 'Relegation'. The last five editions have been won by the Bundesliga club...

Heidenheim- how they got here

Heidenheim took the Bundesliga by storm just under a year ago, the top-flight newcomers finishing eighth to qualify for the UEFA Conference League play-offs. Frank Schmidt masterminded his team's path into the competition proper, but those famous European nights came at the expense of their domestic form. Hovering precariously above the relegation zone at the halfway stage, Heidenheim spent much of February and early March in the bottom two, before a late-season surge secured the play-off lifeline.

1:18

Watch: Elversberg - how they got here

Playing in Bundesliga 2 for only the second time in their history - after finishing 11th on debut a year ago - Elversberg successfully defended third place during the 2024/25 season run-in to clinch the play-off berth. Horst Steffen's charges took 58 points from 34 games, finishing just a point behind runners-up Hamburg, who went up automatically alongside champions Cologne. The Saarland outfit rounded out the regular season with a joint-second-best 64 goals scored, and they also had the second-best defence, conceding just 37.

Welcome!

It's Heidenheim vs. Elversberg in the first leg of the 2024/25 play-off to determine who will play in the Bundesliga next season - stay tuned for all the live text coverage you can shake a stick at!