The match between FC Heidenheim and FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout playoff promises to be a compelling encounter. Heidenheim enters the second leg with a slight advantage, having secured a 2-1 victory in the first leg, courtesy of goals from Keller and Siersleben, which overcame Larsson's opener. However, their recent form in the Bundesliga has been disheartening; they currently sit at 16th place and have not won any of their last six league matches. This precarious position may lead coach Frank Schmidt to prioritize Bundesliga survival over this cup competition.
The win puts Heidenheim in a strong position to progress ahead of Thursday's return leg at Voith-Arena and was a welcome one for Franck Schmidt's side, who had lost four matches in a row going into the game in the Danish capital.
However, Heidenheim were unable to build on their win at the weekend, losing 0-2 to Mainz, with Schmidt saying afterwards that his 16th-placed side are "not good enough to win games in the Bundesliga" at the moment.
Heidenheim possible starting lineup: Feller; Busch, Mainka, Siersleben, Traore; Keller, Conteh, Wanner, Niehues, Scienza; Honsak
Copenhagen possible starting lineup: Ramaj; Huescas, Pereira, Hatzidiakos, Lopez; Froholdt, Delaney, Mattsson; Larsson, Robert, Claesson
Speaking about the Conference League, the debutant from Germany started with 5 wins, if we take into account the confident passage of Hacken in the summer qualification. And there was an away win in the game against Hearts. Then there was a decline: the team lost to Chelsea and Istanbul, and finally ended with a 1-1 draw in the struggle with St. Gallen. The Danes overcame 3 rounds of qualification, although it came down to post-match penalties in the confrontation with Banik. And there was a home defeat made by Jagiellonia and a couple of draws in the main round, after the first 3 rounds. Still, then the club won the games against Dinamo Minsk and Hearts, which was enough to reach the play-offs, despite the crushing December defeat in Vienna against the local opponent, Rapid.
Copenhagen have a massive mental block in terms of facing German clubs, having never won against them in 15 previous encounters. With Heidenheim struggling in the Bundesliga and survival in that competition their prime task, the Danish visitors could be allowed a window of opportunity.
Given these circumstances and both teams' current form—Heidenheim struggling domestically while Copenhagen seeks to regain momentum—the predicted lineups will likely reflect strategic rotations aimed at addressing fatigue and injuries. The outcome of this match could pivot on which team can best adapt under pressure while managing their respective squad limitations effectively. Ultimately, this encounter is pivotal not only for progression in the tournament but also for maintaining morale amid challenging league campaigns.
Read more
All to know about Real Betis vs. Gent - confirmed lineups and live streaming FCSB vs PAOK prediction & free live streamSarah H
Also on site :
- Who won Irish Grand National 2025? Full results, fallers and finishing order for 5.00 Fairyhouse race
- New York Jets make $50million NFL Draft decision as focus shifts following doomed Aaron Rodgers experiment
- America (and I) went on a pre-tariff splurge in March