Heidenheim Vs Werder Bremen
Heidenheim Vs Werder Bremen Monday 6 July 2020 – 19:30 Kick-Off
German Promotion/Relegation Play-Off
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 21/20
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 4 July 2020)
Preview: Following a relatively uneventful opening leg in Bremen, in which no side could gain the upper hand, Heidenheim are potentially 90 minutes from a maiden Bundesliga promotion and will be confident of completing the job at their Voith-Arena against Werder Bremen.
German Bundesliga Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Heidenheim Preview – Home comforts can seal the deal?
With the away encounter safely negotiated – and they were unfortunate to see defender Timo Beermann’s late header sail agonisingly wide deep into time added on in the second half – Heidenheim must be feeling quietly confident about their chances ahead of hosting this return leg. Particularly as Frank Schmidt’s charges do so on the back of an excellent campaign inside their Voith-Arena in Germany’s second tier.
Finishing third in the Bundesliga 2 this season, Heidenheim, with a record at home reading W11 D4 L2, would produce superior numbers at home than all eighteen teams barring second-placed Stuttgart. They even finished the term with five successive wins on their own patch, four of which were in games involving a minimum of three goals, with their last such defeat in the league dating right back to October (W9 D2 since).
On the basis of this, Werder Bremen must pull out all the stops if they are to prevail. The hosts will also look to compound the absence of defender Niklas Moisander, whose red card in the closing moments of the first leg means he misses out for Bremen here. That could be good news for striker Tim Kleindienst. The 24-year-old finished the regular season with 14 goals – twice that of any of his fellow team-mates.
Werder Bremen Preview – Green-Whites better placed to strike on their travels?
Having miraculously defied the drop with a remarkable 6-1 home victory over FC Koln on the final day of this season’s top-flight campaign, there was suddenly – and rather inexplicably, considering the season that went before it – an expectation Werder Bremen would naturally continue where they left off against The Billy Goats by comfortably dispatching Heidenheim. So far at least, that has not proven to be the case.
Die Werderaner were held to a scoreless draw first time out at the Weserstadion, dictating much of the proceedings without ever truly testing their Bundesliga 2 opponents, whom only had one attempt on target to deal with. Such a toothless display should not come as a surprise: Bremen found goals incredibly difficult to come by throughout 2019/20, especially on their own patch where they failed to net on 10 of 17 occasions.
In fact, the Florian Kohfeldt-managed side retained a clear preference for playing on their travels this season, picking up four more wins (W6 D4 L7), suffering considerably fewer losses (7 vs 12), and scoring at a more healthy rate of 1.59 compared with 0.89 back home. So, in retrospect, perhaps it was always meant to be this second leg upon which Bremen would mount their successful charge for survival.
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
Heidenheim Vs Werder Bremen Betting Advice
Despite producing a lacklustre home display that typified their season up till now, bookmakers still make Werder Bremen favourites to prevail in this deciding second leg. Clearly the home record of Heidenheim hasn’t been factored in because the hosts were formidable on their own patch throughout 2019/20, winning each of the last five said matches during a campaign which seen them beaten at home just three times.
Heidenheim Vs Werder Bremen – Key Facts
- In this season’s German Bundesliga 2 campaign, only second-placed Stuttgart registered more home points than Heidenheim (W11 D4 L2).
- Despite possessing the worst home record in this season’s Bundesliga, Werder Bremen‘s exploits away from home (W6 D4 L7) ranks them eighth-best among all 18 top-flight teams.
- The 0-0 draw from the first-leg represented the first of three head-to-head meetings since 2011 which failed to deliver a minimum of three goals in the match.
The fact of the matter is, Werder Bremen are the superior side – particularly with regards to playing personnel (albeit most have played well below expectations this season) but also in experience. That may prove the difference here, in what I suspect will be a much more enjoyable spectacle. Heidenheim were cautious in Bremen, understandably, but should play with more abandon at home, which will suit the visitors.
Five of Heidenheim’s last six home games produced three or more goals, while 76% of Bremen’s away matches this season delivered on Over 2.5 Goals.
Best Betting Odds – Heidenheim Vs Werder Bremen
Heidenheim – 27/10 (Unibet)
Draw – 13/5 (Bet365)
Werder Bremen -11/10 (Betway)
