The first playoff match for the right to play in the Bundesliga between Heidenheim and Elversberg will take place on May 22 at the Voith-Arena. Heidenheim vs. Elversberg: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Heidenheim
In their debut Bundesliga season, the team finished in 8th place, but in this tournament, Frank Schmidt's side ended up 16th. Heidenheim suffered 21 defeats (8 wins, 5 draws), the worst record in the league. Additionally, the club failed to score in 14 matches this season, with only St. Pauli scoring less frequently (17). However, it's worth noting that the team kept a clean sheet in 3 of their last 4 Bundesliga matches.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 7 of Heidenheim's last 8 league matches.
- The club lost 7 of their last 9 home matches in this tournament (1 win, 1 draw).
- In 8 of their last 9 home Bundesliga games, the team conceded at least one goal.
Predicted lineup for Heidenheim (4-5-1)
Kevin Müller – Benedikt Gimber, Omar Haktab Traore, Patrick Mainka, Tim Siersleben – Jan Schöppner, Adrian Beck, Mathias Honsak, Paul Wanner, Niklas Dorsch – Marvin Pieringer.
Elversberg
Horst Steffen's team finished third in the 2. Bundesliga, just one point behind second-placed Hamburg. At the end of the tournament, Elversberg went on an 8-match unbeaten run (5 wins, 3 draws), during which they never conceded more than one goal. Overall, the team conceded 37 goals, with only Hannover having a better defensive record (36). Elversberg also led the league with 13 clean sheets.
- The team's scoring streak in the 2. Bundesliga stands at 7 matches.
- The club is unbeaten in 8 away games in this tournament (4 wins, 4 draws).
- No more than three goals were scored in 11 of Elversberg's last 13 away league matches.
Predicted lineup for Elversberg (4-5-1)
Nicolas Kristof – Elias Baum, Lukas Pinkert, Florian Le Joncour, Maurice Neubauer – Robin Fellhauer, Semih Sahin, Lukas Petkov, Muhammed Damar, Tom Zimmerschied – Fisnik Asllani.
Referee
Sven Jablonski (Germany)
Matches – 15 (Bundesliga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 60;
Average yellow cards per match – 4;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 20%.
Match Prediction: Heidenheim vs. Elversberg
Frank Schmidt's side has significantly declined compared to last season, particularly in terms of scoring. In the current championship, Heidenheim scored just 37 goals, with most of them coming in away games. At home, the team scored only 13 times in the 2024/25 Bundesliga, failing to find the net in 5 of their last 7 home matches in this tournament.
Elversberg will have a second leg to play, but even away, Horst Steffen's side will aim for a positive result, relying primarily on their solid defense. The last time the club conceded more than one goal in the 2. Bundesliga was back in late January. Notably, Elversberg has conceded only 12 goals away this season – the best result in the tournament. Even Hamburg, the league's top-scoring team, couldn't break Elversberg's defense in their home match.
My prediction: Heidenheim Individual Total Under 1.5
