Things are currently not going well for 1. FC Heidenheim in the Bundesliga. Can coach Frank Schmidt’s team gain new courage for the class struggle in the DFB Cup?
1. FC Heidenheim wants to take a step out of the crisis. The DFB Cup comes at just the right time. Because before the second round game against Hamburger SV just a few days after the clear defeat at TSG Hoffenheim Coach Frank Schmidt’s team has no time to mope: “It’s positive after the game in Hoffenheim that you can play again quickly. I think that’s better than if you had longer time to prepare for a game like this,” said the 51-year-old at the press conference on Monday and quickly followed up: “Conversely, that doesn’t mean that you automatically win – that’s also clear.”
Heidenheim as an underdog against HSV
Heidenheim goes into the race as the underdog on Tuesday (live in the audio stream on Sportschau.de from 6:30 p.m.). After eight games in the league, Hamburger SV is clearly ahead of 1. FC Heidenheim and The Hanseatic League also won the league game in mid-September. And even if the 0-1 defeat against staid Wolfsburg on Saturday suggests otherwise: HSV was the better team in this game.
In contrast to 1. FC Heidenheim in the 1:3 defeat in Hoffenheim, which coach Schmidt declared in an interview with SWR Sport as a step backwards. Now the coach is hoping for a reaction against Hamburger SV. Reaching the round of 16 on December 2nd and 3rd could give the Heidenheimers the momentum they need to be able to compete in the league next Saturday. And the team from Ostalb really needs a little boost of euphoria, because their opponent is European Cup aspirant Eintracht Frankfurt.
Broadcast on Tuesday, October 28th, 2025, 6:30 p.m., 1. FC Heidenheim against Hamburger SV in the Sportschau audio stream
