The backdrop: Drawing strength from Wolfsburg
The hard-fought draw against VfL Wolfsburg on Matchday 23 was “a spirited point”, said head coach Dino Toppmöller, adding: “It gives us something to build on.” Philipp Max, scorer of Eintracht’s first goal, described the 2-2 draw as a “passionate display”.
Next stop in the Bundesliga is the Voith-Arena, home of 1. FC Heidenheim. On their only previous visit there, the Eagles won shortly before Christmas 2017 on their way to the 2018 DFB Cup triumph. The fact that Eintracht came back twice against Wolfsburg “is important and gives us strength for the rest of the season,” added Timothy Chandler, who provided the assist for Omar Marmoush’s stoppage-time equaliser. Kick-off in Heidenheim is at 15:30 CET on Saturday 2 March.
Strong season
Bundesliga newcomers Heidenheim currently sit in 10th place in the standings with 28 points, having lost just one of their last 10 league games – the last home match against leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The team coached by Frank Schmidt, who has been in charge since 2007, have suffered nine defeats in 23 games to date. Only Hoffenheim (five) and Leipzig (four) have registered fewer losses as a promoted side in their debut Bundesliga campaign.
Running battle
Frankfurt won 2-0 in the reverse fixture thanks to goals from Hugo Larsson and Ansgar Knauff. Toppmöller’s men can expect to do a lot of running on Saturday, as the hosts have covered the most ground in the German top flight with 2,800 kilometres as well as 5,837 sprints.
Match info
Kick-off: Saturday 2 March, 15:30 CET, Bundesliga, MD 24
Stadium: Voith-Arena, Heidenheim.
