Heidenheim: The Bundesliga’s fairy-tale club looking to produce one more miracle
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season thanks to a 97th-minute Léo Scienza goal in the relegation play-off against Elversberg, Heidenheim have once again struggled this campaign. They sit bottom of the table, seven points adrift of 16th placed St. Pauli, who they face on Saturday. Lose and they are down, but perhaps Frank Schmidt’s miracle men can produce one final surprise…
When Heidenheim earned promotion to the Bundesliga in 2023, the city where the club plays their football became the smallest to house a Bundesliga team with just 50,000 inhabitants. And they had just held off big-name clubs such as Hamburg to finish top of the Bundesliga 2 table.
Since then, the fairy tale has continued, with Heidenheim finishing a miraculous eighth in their first season in the Bundesliga to secure UEFA Conference League football. In that same season, they even produced a spectacular 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich in a true David vs. Goliath story, having fallen two goals behind.
Watch: Heidenheim 3-2 Bayern Munich - highlights
However, with the addition of European football, Heidenheim’s small squad became thinly stretched as they limped to a 16th-place finish last season. Although they did overcome Elversberg in that dramatic play-off, the signs were there that the team would continue to struggle, and so has been the case this campaign.
With just four games remaining, Heidenheim now sit seven points behind St. Pauli in 16th ahead of their all or nothing game on Saturday. If Heidenheim are beaten, then their relegation to Bundesliga 2 will be confirmed with three games remaining.
Even if they win, avoiding relegation looks a tough ask, with the following fixture being a trip to champions Bayern.
However, this is Heidenheim, a team that has overcome all the odds on their way to the Bundesliga, and perhaps Frank Schmidt and his team can produce yet another miracle to preserve their Bundesliga status.
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