Bundesliga 2025/26 Tactical Previews: 1. FC Heidenheim | OneFootball

In the sixth installment of our Bundesliga previews to be released here on Get German Football News, we’ll be having a spot of fun with 1. FC Heidenheim. No one associated with the Ostalbenschwaben truly cares that those covering this club care to share some laughs at their expense. Given that every major German footballing publication taps the Ba-Wü-borderers to finish dead last in the table this year, a robust sense of humor remains a requisite for all FCH fans. They need to laugh to keep from crying. We deserve to laugh as well.

The fairy-tale appears to be over for this town of 50,000. There’s little cause for complaint either. Three years in the German top flight. A European journey via the 2024/25 Conference League. Dramatic late victory in last season’s promotion-relegation playoffs. As a deep dialectal Swabian phrase roughly translates (an author of Pfälzer roots thinks), “it’s good enough when one isn’t cursed at”. Swabians from this region seem to be reasonably happy with whatever day it doesn’t happen to mercilessly rain all over them as if the sky has some sort of grudge.

In that spirit, we’ll merrily proceed.

1. FC Heidenheim

Those not necessarily interested in what’s been happening with FCH keeper Kevin Müller might wish to scroll down to the later sections. It’s effectively “amateur open mic night” for a little while until we get to the nuts-and-bolts of how trainer Frank Schmidt might hope to set this team up for something other than failure. Do note that Schmidt has completed walked all over our expectations in the past. It may well be the man who has led this team for nearly two decades (and only the second head coach to serve since the 2006 consolidation) who ends up getting the last laugh once again.

Major personnel shifts, Heidenheim

Estimated Summer Transfer Balance = €0

No, the above figure is not a typo. Heidenheim have not made one single transfer involving a cash transaction this summer. That isn’t to say that there hasn’t been plenty going on in the Ostalbkreis. The FCH actually made one of the more sensational personnel moves of the whole offseason by taking Borussia Dortmund keeper Diant Ramaj on loan and immediately according him No. 1 status. This even led to a rather funny dust-up between long-time keeper Kevin Müller and club management.

Heidenheim CEO Holger Sanwald remarked that the primary reason Ramaj was immediately installed was due to the fact that Müller was considering an MLS move. Müller fired back on social media that he was considering no such thing, and that he only mentioned that he was a fan of the USA league in passing conversation. None of the 30 (!!) MLS clubs have tendered him an offer.

Müller also complained that, after ten years of helping Heidenheim achieve every small-town-club’s dream, he wasn’t even given a chance to compete with Ramaj on a sporting level. The 34-year-old keeper has contested 327 total matches for the Ostalbenschwaben over the last decade, only just extended his contract in January, and has raised a family in the town.

Oops.

Anyway, Müller and management smoothed things over and life proceeded to go on. Heidenheim – having test driven Bayern loanees Paul Wanner and Frans Krätzig last year – made a deliberate effort to get Wanner back that didn’t work. They tried signing other Bayern problem children such as Gabriel Vidovic, but only succeeded in picking up FCB prospect Arijon Ibrahimovic on loan.

Ramaj, Ibrahimovic, and three youngsters (Yannik Wagner, Adam Köller, and Nick Rothweiler) promoted from the U19 team count as the extent of the news on the arrival front. Departure-wise, back-up keeper Vitus Eicher left after seven seasons (no word on a possible MLS move for him yet) and Norman Theuerkauf hung up his own cleats after his own decade of service to the FCH.

One might think that quiet summers are the norm in this small BaWü burg, but Heidenheim obviously had to be very active in preparing the side for the top flight ahead of the 2023/24 season (six signings) and had to scramble to get the squad ready for the European Conference League (nine signings) in preparation for the 2024/25 Conference League campaign.

This has been an aberration.

Notes from camp, Heidenheim

Like Hoffenheim, Heidenheim have actually won all of their pre-season fixtures. Granted, Frank Schmidt’s men only contested two meaningful ones. A big test against Racing Straßburg got washed out due to persistent rainfall. Wins against Wacker Innsbruck (which apparently have re-branded and compete in the Austrian fourth division) and a couple of German amateur sides don’t count for much. The author has no earthly desire to look up the history of (steady…) “SGM Herbrechtigen/Bolheim”, which the club defeated 17-0.

After breaking camp in Innsbruck Austria, Heidenheim travelled to Ingolstadt to take on the Bavarian Audistädter and won. Two of Heidenheim’s three goals came from the “B-team” in the second part of the 120-minute scrimmage against FC Ingolstadt 04. Heidenheim then welcomed Parma Calcio to the Voith Arena for their final pre-season friendly. Leo Scienza and Tim Siersleben scored in the 2-1 win. Schmidt has seemed relatively chipper whenever speaking to the German press, at the very least putting his trademark rants from last season behind him.

Winners from camp, Heidenheim

Mikkel Kaufmann, LS

No, the non-competitive friendlies don’t matter. It is nevertheless worth noting that the congenitally disappointing Danish striker got a chance to blow off some steam in the first two fixtures. Fresh back from an underwhelming loan stint back with Karlsruher SC, Kaufmann collected hat-tricks in each of the two warm-up fixtures, scoring four goals in the famed Herbrechtigen/Bolheim match. Kaufmann’s fellow summer 2024 transfer flop Maximilian Breunig racked up the scorer points in the two tests as well.

Former 2. Bundesliga mainstay Stefan Schimmer, who never even started for Heidenheim in the two years since they’ve been promoted to the top flight, got a chance to pad the scoresheet too. Doubtful we’ll see any of these players earn regular minutes in the coming season unless things go sour pretty quickly, but at least Schmidt has a trio with a little wind at their backs to turn to should things go south. The young Yannik Wagner also netted a goal in the Ingolstadt win. There are at least options.

Leo Scienza, LW

Rumors linking the Brazilian with a move to a larger Bundesliga club thankfully proved nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The former SSV Ulm standout needs to remain put for now and sort himself out on this side. The jump up from the 3. Liga to the top flight understandably proved a bit too much for Scienza last year. Strong performances near the beginning of the campaign and a crucial surge at the tail-end nevertheless proved what the 26-year-old is capable of. Scienza’s carries momentum into the season after scoring the match winner in the final pre-season friendly.

Omar Haktab Traoré, RB

A player Bundesliga lovers genuinely wish received the respect and attention he richly deserves might be the primary beneficiary of Heidenheim’s failure to sign a new left back. Haktab Traoré didn’t feature on the left at all last season, but might move over there more this year without Theuerkauf available. At least that’s what this author would do. Traoré could work behind Sirlord Conteh on the right whenever Jonas Föhrenbach completes the back-four and opposite Conteh on the right whenever Schmidt opts for a wingback formation.

Losers from camp, Heidenheim

Budu Zivzivadze, LS

It just isn’t clicking for the Georgian international, who couldn’t even join his goal-happy colleagues on the scoresheet in the non-competitive friendlies. Younger no names such as Wagner, Luca Kerber, and Maximilian Vogel have contributed more to FCH camp than Zivzivadze. The 31-year-old’s projected attacking partner Ibrahimovic hasn’t exactly been much of a prize either, but at least there’s been some intent from the Bayern loanee discernible in the test fixtures. The two of them spearheading the attack this season doesn’t inspire much confidence.

Niklas Dorsch, CM

The former Germany U21 European champion has followed up a rather inconspicuous 2024/25 season with a rather inconspicuous camp. Dorsch’s new forward deployment doesn’t seem to jive particularly well with his skill set. Forward play with him working behind the top attacking axis appears flat Dorsch doesn’t appear to have the pace anymore to track back and defend. Schmidt probably wishes he hadn’t have given up on Lennard Maloney at this point. The USMNT international appears sorely missed.

Tactical Scout, Heidenheim

The FCH trainer deployed a 3-4-1-2 in the final friendly against visiting Parma. The author bets on a safer approach in the Pokal opener against Bahlinger SC on Saturday. Heidenheim cannot afford to get this highly dangerous campaign off to an ominous start. If nothing else, it did prove a fun exercise re-working the FCH tactics in anticipation of the fight of this club’s life. The tweaks at least have some reasoning behind them.

Lineup—Heidenheim (Projected)

Haktab-Traoré receives his wished-for left-rearward deployment in what may be termed the “fever dream” aspect of this constellation. Dorsch and Ibrahimovic both move back from their previous positions while Scienza and Conteh slide father down the wings. Breunig is the best of several bad options to work alongside the unconvincing Zivzivadze. Kaufmann, Wagner, or even potentially Mathias Honsak could serve up there. Pieringer would probably serve as the best option, but appears to be hurt.

A long uphill battle begins.

GGFN | Peter Weis