Preview: Eagles confident ahead of Heidenheim trip | OneFootball

Eintracht travel to Heidenheim with some degree of confidence after an encouraging performance against Dortmund. Their opponents, meanwhile, are closing ranks.

Backdrop

Both Eintracht (against Borussia Dortmund) and 1. FC Heidenheim (against Hamburger SV) exited the DFB Cup on Tuesday evening, and the two sides had similar reactions to their defeats. FCB coach Frank Schmidt admitted that they have their “backs against the wall… that’s just the way it is”, given that his team have collected a mere four points after eight Bundesliga matches. At the same time, he underlined the fact that “now we’ll close ranks even more so that we pick up points in the Bundesliga – because we need them so we don’t get stuck at the bottom”. Indeed, Heidenheim have been in the relegation zone since Matchday 2.

Performances improving On the Frankfurt side, Axel Hellmann believes the Eagles are a few steps further along, and not just in terms of the table. “We were under pressure before the St. Pauli game. When I see what we made of it, it wasn’t a brilliant performance but a hard-fought win, and that’s what we needed,” said the CEO, who is optimistic that the team can continue to draw on positive energy, even from the cup defeat. “We have a different self-image and that’s what I’m hoping to see in the coming matches.”  

Full focus on Heidenheim

Head coach Dino Toppmöller is also determined to manage the balancing act between disappointment and enthusiasm. After the “next bitter pill we had to swallow”, it is now a case of “continuing to work hard and light people up with our football”. So, the strategy between now and 15:30 CET on Saturday is: “Firstly recover well, and then we want to deliver a good Bundesliga performance at Heidenheim.” Sporting director Timmo Hardung is taking the same view, saying: “we go again. Dust ourselves down, recover well and then try to turn the focus to Heidenheim.”

“Against Heidenheim we need to produce a similar performance to the one in the cup,” explained board member for sport Markus Krösche on Tuesday, adding: “it’s always about displaying high intensity on the day.”

Burkardt in form

Jonathan Burkardt is doing that week after week, with six of the striker’s last 10 attempts on goal in the league ending up in the back of the net. More of the same would obviously be welcome at Heidenheim on Saturday.