New Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac is set to take charge of the club for the first time on Saturday when his side play Heidenheim at Voith-Arena in the Bundesliga.
Heidenheim are third last in the league's 16th-placed relegation playoff spot with 14 points and lost 2-1 against Augsburg on January 25, while Dortmund were able to hold Werder Bremen to a 2-2 stalemate last Saturday but are 11th in the league with 26 points.
Match preview
© Imago
The hosts' defensive frailty was on full display against Augsburg having conceded stoppage-time goals in both halves, and it was in fact the second consecutive matchweek that they conceded in the 92nd minute.
Heidenheim are four points from guaranteed safety but are just two points from 17th-placed Holstein Kiel, who occupy one of two automatic relegation spots.
Boss Frank Schmidt must address his side's defensive issues if they are to survive, with opponents managing to score against his team seven times in their last three matches.
Heidenheim are in poor form, as while they have only lost two of their past four games, they were also beaten in eight of their previous nine.
Schmidt's side have been somewhat better at home in recent weeks given they have won one and drawn one of their last three at Voith-Arena, though they were defeated in their prior four home outings.
© Imago
As for Dortmund, they have appointed former Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg coach Kovac in place of Nuri Sahin, who was sacked after a run of four straight defeats at the start of 2025 – including three in the league - left them 10th in the Bundesliga.
Kovac inherits a side that put up a spirited display to earn a draw against Werder Bremen, overcoming the adversity of being reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute when the score was 0-0.
The visitors also earned a Champions League round of 16 playoff spot after their 3-1 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday saw them finish 10th, and they will face off against either Sporting Lisbon or Club Brugge for a place in the next round.
BVB are only six points from fourth-placed Stuttgart, who occupy the Bundesliga's final Champions League qualification spot, but their record of 33 goals conceded makes them the fifth-worst defensive club in the top 14.
Kovac's team come into Saturday's clash having failed to win any of their past four league fixtures – losing three and drawing one – though they did beat Heidenheim 4-2 in their previous matchup on September 13.
Dortmund have been frequently defeated on the road this season, losing eight of their 11 most recent Bundesliga games and only winning one in that period.
Team News
© Imago
Heidenheim midfielder Julian Niehues will miss out on action until late February due to a cruciate ligament injury, while Niklas Dorsch is not likely to make his comeback until March.
Luca Kerber and Jan Schoppner have started together in a double pivot in their side's last two outings, and they may be trusted to start together once again on Saturday.
Paul Wanner and Frans Kratzig are candidates to flank striker Budu Zivzivadze considering winger Mathias Honsak could be sidelined for a few more days as a result of a muscle injury.
As for Dortmund, they will be without centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, who was sent off last time out.
Central defender Niklas Sule is also unavailable because of an ankle injury, so perhaps Kovac will start midfielder Emre Can in defence alongside Waldemar Anton.
Midfielder Felix Nmecha has been ruled out until March due to a knee injury, and his absence may force the new BVB manager to select Pascal Gross and Marcel Sabitzer to play in a double pivot.
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Traore, Mainka, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Kerber, Schoppner; Wanner, Pieringer, Kratzig; Zivzivadze
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Can, Bensebaini; Gross, Sabitzer; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
We say: Heidenheim 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund come into the clash confident having won in the Champions League, and they will also be looking to benefit from the new manager bounce.
Additionally, Heidenheim have been poor defensively in recent weeks, and their struggles to win should make the visitors strong favourites to claim all three points on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
