Looking back
Stuttgart won 1-0 in the reverse fixture at the MHP Arena, with Bilal El Khannouss scoring the only goal of the game in the second half. Last season, the respective away side won in both encounters as VfB’s 3-1 victory in December 2024 (goals from Maximilian Mittelstädt, Nick Woltemade and Enzo Millot) was followed by an unfortunate 1-0 loss at home, in which the visitors netted a late winner.
Connections: Two familiar faces
Leonidas Stergiou is spending the second half of the season on loan at Heidenheim from Stuttgart. The Swiss international has made 38 appearances in all competitions for his parent club to date. Heidenheim goalkeeper Diant Ramaj played for VfB as a youngster between 2012 and 2015.
Consistent scorers on the road: No blanks since March 2025
VfB have scored in their last 15 away league matches since a 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of March 2025. Only Bayern Munich can better that at the moment (17, Borussia Dortmund also on 15). Only twice in their Bundesliga history have VfB put together a longer goalscoring run on their travels: 18 consecutive games between 1984 and 1985, and 16 in a row from 2002 to 2003.
Form: Hosts in desperate need of points
No team have ever stayed up in the Bundesliga with 13 points after 22 matches, which is Heidenheim’s current tally. The lowest points tally after 22 games with which a team have survived was 14 points – by Heidenheim last season. Frank Schmidt’s men are winless in nine matches (D2, L7) and have lost their last four Bundesliga games for the first time since the start of the campaign.
Crowd: Away end sold out
VfB supporters have snapped up their full allocation of 2,100 tickets at the Voith-Arena.