The 2024-25 DFB-Pokal gets underway this week and Heidenheim will be travelling to the MS Technologie Arena to take on Villingen on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts are back in this competition for the first time since the 2021-22 season, while the visitors were knocked out in the second round by Borussia Monchengladbach last term.
Match preview
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FC Villingen will make their 12th attempt to advance to the second round of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday, hoping that this will finally be the time they break their streak of unsuccessful efforts.
However, the record cup winners of South Baden face a stern task in trying to end their first-round curse as they are once again forced to punch well above their weight, drawn against Bundesliga opponents Heidenheim.
Mario Klotz was the first to admit that his side are up against it this weekend, but the 08 boss also indicated in the pre-match press conference that his side were looking forward to the match and are going to give it their all.
Klotz himself competed in this cup as a player, when he played as a striker for Villingen back in 2009, and they only lost after extra time 2-0 against the then-second-division St. Pauli that day.
In 2019, the team came agonisingly close to ending their first-round hoodoo when they took a 1-0 lead against Fortuna Dusseldorf and made it to extra time, but Flingeraner ended up winning the match 3-1 before the final whistle.
While the hosts are massive outsiders here, they have been in good form in the lead-up to this match, having beaten SC Lahr 1-0 in the South Baden Cup final last May before securing promotion to Regionalliga Sudwest in June.
Meanwhile, Heidenheim will head into the new season brimming with confidence after what can only be described as an excellent 2023-24 top-flight campaign.
They became the 57th team to play in the Bundesliga last season after earning promotion in 2022-23, and went on to defy the odds by not only surviving their first top-flight campaign, but also claiming a Conference League spot.
Frank Schmidt, who has overseen the club's immense success over the years, led the side to an eighth-placed finish in the league, posting a record of 10 wins, 12 draws and 12 losses, ending just four points off Europa League qualification.
The club are now entering their 18th DFB-Pokal campaign and will hope to carry their excellent form into the competition, having failed to get past the second round in their last five attempts.
While they have bowed out in the first round to the likes of Hansa Rostock and Wehen Wiesbaden in 2020 and 2021 respectively, Heidenheim have come a long way since then, and should be confident in their chances of making light work of their upcoming opponent.
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Team News
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Villingen have just one confirmed absentee for this match in the form of centre-back Jonas Busam, who sustained a cruciate ligament tear in pre-season and is likely to miss a large chunk of the campaign.
Marcel Sokler has scored the hosts' only league goal of the season so far which came against Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz on opening day and he should lead the line here alongside Flavio Santoro.
Heidenheim, on the other hand, are set to start the season without three first-team players, including Thomas Keller and Julian Niehues, both of whom are ruled out for extended periods with cruciate ligament tears.
Marnon Busch sustained a knee injury during the latter stage of last season and is expected to miss the first few months of this term having undergone surgery during the offseason.
Villingen possible starting lineup:
Hoxha; Rinaldi, Colic, Krieger, Zolle; Tadic, Boulachab, Dettling; Sokler, Santoro, Emminger
Heidenheim possible starting lineup:
Muller; Traore, Mainka, Gimber, Fohrenbach; Schoppner, Kerber, Scienza, Wanner, Honsak; Sorensen
We say: Villingen 0-3 Heidenheim
Heidenheim are entering this competition after arguably the best season in their history and a very impressive pre-season. We expect the visitors to wrap this one up fairly comfortably.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
