FCB host Heidenheim: 'Stay on our roll'

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FC Bayern München

·10 November 2023

FCB host Heidenheim: 'Stay on our roll'

FC Bayern host promoted side 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday afternoon (live text and free Web Radio commentary from 15:30 CET on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app). Coach Thomas Tuchel and his team are looking to continue their excellent record in the Bundesliga so far. Our preview contains all the key info on the fixture.

The photos from Friday's final training session:

OneFootball Videos

In pictures: final training before the Heidenheim match

On Friday, FC Bayern trained for the final time before the Bundesliga home match against 1. FC Heidenheim - the session in pictures.

The state of play for Bayern

Bayern made a big statement last weekend with the emphatic 4-0 win in Der Klassiker at Borussia Dortmund. The Bavarians are currently second in the table with 26 points from 10 games, making them the best second-placed team in the history of the German top flight at this stage of the season. Bayer 04 Leverkusen are ahead of FCB with 28 points. To keep up the pressure on the Werkself before their match on Sunday, a fifth straight league win in the first Bundesliga meeting against the newcomers from Heidenheim is the order of the day.

"We have to be smart and can't just make 11 changes - it's too important and tricky a game for that," said Tuchel in Friday's press conference regarding potential rotation following a packed fixture schedule recently. "We want to stay on our roll." The Reds were able to gain a further confidence boost in midweek, qualifying for the Champions League round of 16 as group winners already courtesy of a 2-1 win against Galatasaray.

Read the main statements from the press conference with Thomas Tuchel in our live blog:

Tuchel on Heidenheim: 'Strong in the air and flexible'

The opponents: Heidenheim

Heidenheim have made a respectable start to their debut season in the top flight. The team of long-serving coach Frank Schmidt, who was part of the Vestenbergsgreuth team that sensationally knocked Bayern out of the cup in the 1994/95 season, have collected 10 points from 10 games, leaving them in 13th position. However, last season's second division champions have mostly impressed at home, with nine of those points being earned at the Voith-Arena. They even beat high-flying VfB Stuttgart 2-0 last time out.

On the road, in contrast, FCH have mustered a solitary point - although it was at Borussia Dortmund with a 2-2 draw. "They're a team who are very strong in the air, very strong from set pieces and crosses," described Tuchel. "They're flexible, react to opponents and adjust their formation quite often. They do a mixture of man- and zonal marking."

The only previous competitive meeting between the two sides in the DFB Cup was a real thriller:

Looking back: Bayern's ding-dong battle with Heidenheim in DFB Cup

The team news for Bayern vs. Heidenheim

Along with Matthijs de Ligt (partial tear of knee ligament) and the suspended Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala will also be absent against Heidenheim. The attacker picked up a muscle injury in the match against Galatasaray. Raphaël Guerreiro is expected to return to the squad, though.

Heidenheim must do without long-term absentees Elidon Qenaj and Thomas Keller, with Marvin Pieringer also sidelined.

The facts on the game against Heidenheim:

A Bundesliga first: the facts ahead of Bayern vs. Heidenheim

What the coaches say

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