Wolfsburg vs Heidenheim prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-08-18 13:30.
Wolfsburg will surely be out to right the wrongs of a seesaw season last term that ultimately ended in disappointment. Despite making their worst start to a Bundesliga season in 21 years, the club stuck with manager Niko KovaÄŤ and so nearly reaped the reward. They overcame their slow start to set up a finale against already relegated Hertha Berlin in which they needed only a draw to secure European football, but their lost 2-1 served as their third defeat from their final four league matches (W1) and saw them miss out on continental competition for the second straight season.
A winless pre-season would have done little to lift their spirits (D2, L2), nor would losing key players such as Felix Nmecha, Micky van de Ven and Omar Marmoush in the summer. Although, perhaps the 6-0 DFB-Pokal rout of fifth-tier side Makkabi this past weekend might have served as a timely confidence booster before the Wolves bid to extend their tidy opening-day record of just one defeat in their last eight maiden fixtures (W5, D2).
Heidenheim’s arrival into Germany’s top tier represents a new piece of history, with the club having never featured at this level previously. They come into the division as 2.Bundesliga champions, a feat that was secured on a remarkable final day in which two goals in stoppage time saw them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a 3-2 success. It’s been a fairytale rise for the side who sat in the fourth tier back in 2007 when then-retiring former player Frank Schmidt was appointed interim manager. Nearly 16 years on, he’s now the longest current serving manager in Germany’s top flight.
Interestingly, despite having never played at the same level, Schmidt has faced Wolfsburg three times during his time in charge of Heidenheim. All meetings (2008, 2014, 2016) came in DFB-Pokal action and ended in defeat by an aggregate score of 8-1, but the newbies scored eight goals of their own last week in a dominant win cup win against fifth-tier opposition Rostocker (8-0) so aren’t likely to arrive into this one short of confidence.
Players to watch: Summer arrival Tiago Tomas has settled seamlessly into life at Wolfsburg, netting in his friendly debut before subsequently grabbing two goals and two assists during his competitive debut last week. Heidenheim’s Tim Kleindienst also bagged a brace last week, and he’s one to keep an eye on as he aims to translate last season’s impressive league form (G25, A7) into Germany’s top league.
Hot stat: Wolfsburg were winless in their four games against newly promoted sides last season (D3, L1).