Werder Bremen Vs Heidenheim
Werder Bremen Vs Heidenheim Thursday 2 July 2020 – 19:30 Kick-Off
German Bundesliga Relegation Play-Off
Pick: Heidenheim +1.25 Asian Handicap
Odds: 3/4
Bookmaker: 888Sport
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 29 June 2020)
Preview: The first-leg of the German Promotion/Relegation Play-Off takes place at Werder Bremen‘s Weserstadion, the setting for their stunning final day heroics last weekend. Can Heidenheim, from the second tier, bring the hosts back down to earth with a bump?
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Table of Contents
Werder Bremen Preview – Final day triumph only masks an inept season?
In truly remarkable scenes, Werder Bremen avoided dropping down to the second tier on the final day of the Bundesliga season after producing a still barely believable 6-1 win at their Weserstadion over FC Koln. That scoreline, which was comfortably their biggest margin of victory of the campaign, meant a rise from 17th to 16th, dislodging Fortuna Dusseldorf from the relegation play-off as a direct consequence.
To put their final day heroics into some perspective: here was a side that had spent much of the season in the bottom-two, had won only once in sixteen previous home games whilst scoring a meagre nine times, and arrived in alarming form having lost four of the last five fixtures. Sure, the opposition had very little worth playing for, but take nothing away from what was a ruthless display from Florian Kohfeldt’s charges.
However, if there was any degree of Bremen being handed an easy ride last time out, by a Koln outfit marooned in mid-table safety, they can rest assured that will not be the case on Wednesday. Gaining the upper hand in this opening home leg could be crucial therefore. And although they would run rampant here a few days ago, it should be noted that the Green-Whites were winless in 14 previous home games, failing to even score in ten.
Heidenheim Preview – First ever Bundesliga promotion beckons?
In equally remarkable scenes, Heidenheim would cling on to third place in the Bundesliga 2 standings despite going down 3-0 away to divisional champions Arminia Bielefeld on the final day. That loss meant an opportunity presented itself to former top-flight regulars Hamburg who, with a win at home to mid-table Sandhausen, would clamber into third position and assume the promotion play-off berth. They lost 5-1!
A touch fortunate to even be here perhaps. It is now a matter of whether the club, whom are bidding to reach the Bundesliga for the first time, can seize upon this good fortune. A positive result in Bremen would set them up nicely for the return leg at their Voith-Arena, where their record throughout 2019/20 was incredibly strong – only Stuttgart finished with more wins and points in the second tier.
Worryingly, the drop-off between their home and away form was stark. Heidenheim conjured just four wins across seventeen away outings – only six teams managing fewer – whilst scoring only 13 times, compared with the 32 netted on home soil. Their final six away encounters returned two draws and four defeats, netting only once. Expect a cautious approach therefore to this opening leg, in an effort to keep the tie alive.
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Werder Bremen Vs Heidenheim Betting Advice
Both sides can count themselves fortunate to be in the position they are now, with the pair benefiting from a bizarre end to the top two divisions. Bremen do deserve huge credit, though, for pulling their gargantuan 6-1 victory out of the bag from seemingly nowhere. However, prior form tells us not to get too carried away by that one result, versus a Koln side already on their summer vacations.
Werder Bremen Vs Heidenheim – Key Facts
- Bremen finished with the worst home record (W2 D3 L12) in this season’s Bundesliga, winning only twice on their own patch and scoring just nine times.
- Heidenhem weren’t exactly the best of travellers in the German second division, though, securing four away wins in 2019/20 (W4 D6 L7) whilst scoring on just 13 occasions.
- Despite competing in different league this season, this will be a second competitive meeting in 2019/20 after the sides met in the DFB Pokal in October – Bremen winning 4-1 at home.
As impressive as they were at the weekend, Bremen still had a very poor campaign, particularly at home (W2 D3 L12). Odds of around 1/2 about a home win simply don’t sit well with me, but then they didn’t sit well on Saturday either and look how that turned out. Granted Heidenhem were among the worst travelling sides in the second tier (W4 D6 L7), but they still managed to avoid defeat on their travels more often than not.
Best Betting Odds – Werder Bremen Vs Heidenheim
Werder Bremen – 11/20 (Betway)
Draw – 17/5 (Unibet)
Heidenheim – 21/4 (888Sport)
