Hamburg vs Heidenheim Preview: Team News & Prediction

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The Bundesliga’s current bottom two do battle at the Volksparkstadion as 17th-placed Hamburg take on 18th-placed Heidenheim.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / US – ESPN
How to watch online: UK – Not televised / US – ESPN+
Hamburg preview: Lack of goals hurting
Hamburg are currently one of just two Bundesliga clubs who are still yet to score a goal after three league matches. They were shut out against Borussia Monchengladbach, St. Pauli and most recently Bayern Munich, where they were beaten 5-0 in a vastly one-sided affair.
Whilst Hamburg won’t face opposition of Bayern’s quality every round, their offensive struggles remain cause for concern, although this fixture against the one team below them in the table could yet spark an upturn.
Heidenheim preview: Still pointless
After three rounds of Bundesliga fixtures, Heidenheim are now the only side remaining who are yet to pick up a single point, which leaves them languishing at the bottom of the table. But a win here would parachute them above Hamburg and out of that dreaded bottom spot.
So far, Heidenheim have managed just one goal this season, whilst they’ve conceded seven. Such a lack of attacking efficiency will need to be addressed and improved upon quickly if they are to turn things around.
Hamburg team news: Poulsen among names missing
Hamburg are without four players for this match, three of them because of injury. Silvan Hefti, Yussuf Poulsen and Jordan Torunarigha will all be unavailable for the home side, as will Guilherme Ramos.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Heuer Fernandes; Omari, Vuskovic, Elfadli; Gocholeishvili, Remberg, Capaldo, Muheim; Vieira, Konigsdorffer, Dompe
Unavailable: Hefti (Injured), Poulsen (Injured), Ramos (Personal), Torunarigha (Injured)
Questionable:
Heidenheim team news: Zivzivadze among several absentees
Heidenheim’s struggles are exacerbated by the number not available for selection. Zivzivadze is suspended, whilst six other players are expected to miss out as a result of various different injuries.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Ramaj; Mainka, Gimber, Siersleben; Traore, Kerber, Schoppner, Fohrenbach; Ibrahimovic, Kaufmann, Beck
Unavailable: Feller (Injured), Honsak (Injured), Keller (Injured), Paqarada (Injured), Pieringer (Injured), Rothweiler (Injured), Zivzivadze (Suspended)
Questionable:
Hamburg vs Heidenheim prediction
Despite it still being very early in the season, this feels like a big game between two teams likely to be fighting to stay in the division throughout the campaign. A loss for either side here will feel meaningful and with that in mind, we could see a cagey encounter between Hamburg and Heidenheim.
The onus should be more on the home side to win, but they’ll no doubt want to keep things tight at the back, knowing that defeat would leave them bottom of the table. Heidenheim need to ensure they don’t get cut adrift and could look to play on the counter-attack. Therefore, consider backing under 2.5 goals scored in this one.
Hamburg vs Heidenheim tip: Under 2.5 goals