Heidenheim face a gruelling stretch of fixtures packed with top-tier opponents. However, on Thursday, they will have the opportunity to break their losing streak against St. Gallen, whose defence is considered one of the weakest in this season's Conference League.
The defeat to Stuttgart (1:3) on Sunday marked Heidenheim's seventh consecutive loss and their 11th since the start of October. Despite this, matches involving them consistently feature plenty of goal-scoring opportunities—since November 10, six out of seven games have seen a total over 2.5 goals. Last week against Basaksehir (1:3), the Germans nearly turned the game around after half-time, but the Turks edged it with a slight advantage in chances (1.38–1.51 in xG).
Over the five completed rounds of the Conference League group stage, St. Gallen have conceded 17 goals—the worst record in the tournament. Against Vitória Guimarães (1:4), they allowed 2.17 xGA and faced 30 shots—with the Portuguese side repeatedly creating scoring opportunities. Enrico Maassen’s aggressive 4-3-2-1 formation gives the Swiss chances through quick breaks, which they will be poised to exploit on Thursday.
Even with recent results, Heidenheim's management trusts Frank Schmidt's coaching staff, under whom the club have climbed from the depths of German football. Against St. Gallen, the Bundesliga side will open the game up again—they will have enough chances to score, although the Swiss might also respond with counter-attacks.
