Things are going downhill in the Bundesliga, but internationally 1. FC Heidenheim can take a big step up.
It was just a week ago that Frank Schmidt really put his team through the ringer. The clearly annoyed coach of 1. FC Heidenheim attested to a “non-performance” to his players in their sixth competitive defeat in a row 1:3 in the Conference League at Istanbul club Basaksehir.
Schmidt: “No points with the Christmas mail”
Last Sunday, Schmidt saw the expected “reaction” to this, only: There was also a 1:3 defeat against VfB Stuttgart. Lost seven games in a row, five of them in the Bundesliga – so it’s no surprise that Schmidt lost before Heidenheim’s last preliminary round game in the Conference League on Thursday against FC St. Gallen (9 p.m. in audio stream) first looked at the game on Sunday (3:30 p.m.) at VfL Bochum.
“No points will be sent with the Christmas mail,” he warned, “we have to score points.” In the Conference League, Heidenheim is doing great despite the two most recent defeats against Chelsea (0-2) and against Basaksehir. Thanks to the three wins from the first three games, participation in the play-offs for a place in the round of 16 (draw Friday/1 p.m.) is already certain – with just one point behind, there is even a place in the top eight in the table and that means direct qualification possible.
Audio tip
On the last matchday of the preliminary round of the Conference League, 1. FC Heidenheim welcomes FC St. Gallen from Switzerland. The game on December 19, 2024, from 9 p.m in the SWR audio live stream.
“A win would also help in terms of self-confidence for the game against Bochum,” said Schmidt at the press conference: “I don’t normally talk about the next opponent before a game. That’s why Bochum doesn’t really interest me that much. We have them Watched St. Gallen’s last games, they’re brimming with self-confidence.”
Wanner shows himself again against VfB
First St. Gallen with former Augsburg coach Enrico Maaßen, then the duel against bottom of the table Bochum (3 points): Heidenheim (10 points) hopes that the crisis in results and with it the year will come to an amicable end. “This is our football,” emphasized Schmidt after the game against Stuttgart, despite another defeat. “It was important for us to finally play more emotionally and decisively again. That’s what we did.”
And Paul Wanner, who was so convincing at the start of the season and then so heavily courted by national coaches Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick, also emerged from obscurity: He scored another goal against VfB, his sixth in the 21st competitive game of the season – the one first since October 3rd. However, the defense remains a problem: in the seven defeats, the Heidenheimers conceded 24 goals.
Broadcast on Thursday, December 19, 2024, 6:40 p.m., SWR1 Baden-Württemberg
