Last season, Stuttgart made significant progress and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, while Heidenheim 1846 were relegated from the Bundesliga. However, Frank Schmidt's side came close to beating the Swabians at home in February (3:3). The friendly during the international break could produce a glut of goals.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart faced a difficult schedule at the start of the season, but managed to overcome the obvious outsiders. Sebastian Hoeneß' side played proactive, front-foot football against Cologne (4:1) in the Bundesliga and Viking (3:1) in the UEFA Champions League. They were also aggressive against Hoffenheim (1:2) and Borussia Dortmund (0:1), but it did not bring victories. On the other hand, Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling and Angelo Stiller were not called up by their national teams, so Stuttgart retain a strong squad.
Heidenheim 1846
Heidenheim 1846 parted ways with two important players in the summer — Niklas Dorsch and Marvin Pieringer left the club. The red-and-blues are on a four-match unbeaten run in the 2. Bundesliga, but before that they crashed out of the DFB-Pokal after a heavy defeat to semi-professional side Jeddeloh (2:5). Against Arminia Bielefeld (2:2) last Sunday, Frank Schmidt's team conceded twice from 0.49 xGA.
Stuttgart vs Heidenheim 1846 Prediction
Stuttgart will remain direct and aggressive even in friendlies. Heidenheim 1846 could leave plenty of space with their 4-4-2 formation. The Swabians will exploit the first defensive lapse by their opponents.
