‘Up for the battle’ – Bundesliga run-in begins at Heidenheim

Shake off the disappointment and look ahead: three days after being knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals, FC Bayern head into their Bundesliga assignment at 1. FC Heidenheim with full concentration (live text and free Web Radio commentary from 15:30 CEST on Saturday on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app). In the clash with the third-from-bottom team, the Munich men are looking to secure three points and take another step towards their big target of winning a 34th German championship. We’ve compiled all the important info on the match for you in our preview.

The photos from final training on Friday:

Latest news from Bayern

Following the 2-2 draw at Inter Milan and the elimination from the Champions League, the full focus for head coach Vincent Kompany and his team is on the league. “You can't change the past,” said the Belgian in the pre-match press conference on Friday. “In the next matches we can show how good we are and what we want to do.” Despite the disappointing result, the valiant display at the San Siro offers encouragement for the home stretch of the season, which Bayern can head into with confidence after four Bundesliga matches without defeat. On top of that, the Munich men have not lost a single away league game yet in this calendar year.

Thanks to the home win over St. Pauli (3-2), the away victory at Augsburg (3-1) and the draw against Borussia Dortmund (2-2), the German record champions have kept closest challengers Bayer 04 Leverkusen at bay recently. Six points is the cushion with five fixtures left. However, as Kompany made clear, the concentration is on the next match: “We're in a very good position for the Bundesliga. The next 90 minutes are my priority.” Three points at Heidenheim should herald the sprint to the finish, but Kompany knows his side will need to roll their sleeves up. “We’re up for the battle,” he declared.

Catch up on all the main statements from the pre-match press conference here:

The opponents: Heidenheim

Heidenheim had given themselves some breathing space in the relegation battle with recent back-to-back wins against Holstein Kiel (3-1) and at Wolfsburg (1-0), but defeats in their last two games against Leverkusen (1-0) and at Eintracht Frankfurt (3-0) has seen them slip further away from the safety mark. With five matchdays to go, FCH in the relegation play-off spot are seven points from St. Pauli, who currently occupy 15th place. In any case, Frank Schmidt’s side need to look over their shoulder more than above, with Bochum (20 points) and Kiel (18) still hot on their heels.

In his pre-match press conference on Thursday, though, head coach Schmidt emphasised that they’re concentrating on their own performance first and foremost. “We simply need results, there’s no point crossing our fingers and looking at our rivals in the other positions,” said the long-serving boss. His team face another of the top three now in the leaders from Munich, whose strength from set pieces Schmidt praised in particular: “You certainly have to stress the way they take set pieces – especially corners. They’re very good there and are constantly coming up with things,” explained the 51-year-old. In Kompany’s view, Heidenheim are “very brave” and “press well from the front. They take a certain amount of risk to get results.”

The facts on the clash with Heidenheim:

The team news for Heidenheim vs. Bayern

Kompany is still without Manuel Neuer (calf), Alphonso Davies (cruciate ligament), Dayot Upamecano (knee), Hiroki Ito (metatarsal) and Jamal Musiala (hamstring). Leon Goretzka will also miss out with a calf knock.

For the hosts, Mathias Honsak and Budu Zivzivadze are sidelined. Norman Theuerkauf, who’s been absent from training lately due to illness, is a doubt for Saturday.

What the coaches say