FC Heidenheim

Heidenheim have performed miracles under long-term coach Frank Schmidt and now find themselves in the dizzy heights of the Bundesliga. Few would have tipped them for promotion last season but they remained consistent throughout and two late goals on the final day saw them dramatically win the Liga 2 title. The club were still playing fourth-tier football in 2009 so the rise has been quite emphatic. Schmidt has built a strong foundation and each player gives their all for the shirt. It will of course be a massive test for Heidenheim to stay in the top-flight but they won’t be going down without a fight. Improvements to the squad were of course needed due to the big leap up in quality the division will naturally bring. The core of the squad has been kept intact and five new players have been added. Key striker Kleindienst will again be the focal point up front but finding the net will of course become more difficult. Pieringer and Dovedan should help on the attacking front but both are relatively inexperienced at this level. The latter has never been prolific in front of goal but will make a nuisance of himself in forward areas, he returns to the club having previously played for them between 2017 and 2019. It will also be interesting to see the progression of loan signing Eren Dinkci from Werder Bremen. The young striker is eager to show his talent and should improve further with more game time. Schmidt has clearly felt the defence was not to be tampered with too much. Tying down Siersleben on a permanent contract was important after he became a peripheral figure at centre-back alongside captain Mainka. Traore has joined from Osnabruck to challenge Busch for the right-back position so it will be interesting if he can make the big step up from the third tier. Defensive midfielder Gimber has also joined but is expected to be backup for Maloney. Heidenheim may lack creativity in midfield so they should deploy a more direct route to goal, this could cause problems for the opposition defences. The Voith arena has also become a fortress over the last few seasons so not many of the big teams will enjoy the trip to Southern Germany.