Heidenheim vs Werder Bremen Bundesliga Playoff Leg 2 Odds & Betting Preview

• With the first leg in Bremen goalless, the second leg of the Bundesliga playoff between Werder and Heidenheim remains wide open
• At end of the game, either Heidenheim or Werder Bremen will have a place in the 2020/21 Bundesliga
• We preview the match, look at the odds and offer a pick below

The first leg of the Bundesliga promotion playoff ended goalless with Werder Bremen unable to make the most of home advantage, so, it’s literally all to play for when the two teams meet in Heidenheim on Monday, July 6, KO 2:30 pm EST. By the end of the game, one of them will have booked a place in the 2020/21 Bundesliga.

We’ll preview the game, look back at the first leg, and see if we can find a value bet for the punters.

Werder Bremen vs Heidenheim Bundesliga Playoff Odds

Odds taken July 3

No Goals in a Nervy Bremen

Heidenheim’s task going into the first leg was to ensure that they were still in the tie going into the second on their home patch, Even a one-goal defeat would have been regarded as a success, so a goalless draw in Bremen was a massive result for them.

It may not have been a classic performance or one for the soccer purist, but for Heidenheim manager Frank Schmidt it was the type of result he was looking for; one that could only have been bettered if his team had nicked an away goal. Unsurprisingly, it was was Bremen who dominated possession, with 67 percent, but they were unable to create any clearcut goalscoring opportunities against a very well organized Heidenheim.

In fact, it was the visitors who came closest to winning the game when two minutes into injury time captain Marc Schnatterer’s beautifully flighted corner was headed agonizingly wide of the left upright by  Timo Beermann.

One Shot on Target

Bremen’s only serious attempt on goal didn’t arrive until the 84th minute when Fin Bartle’s low shot skimmed over the wet surface and was well collected by keeper Kevin Müller. Until then they had created very little, despite having loads of the ball, with Yuya Osako’s header that whistled past Müller’s near post the closest they came.

To compound a fairly miserable night for Die Werderaner, with just three minutes left captain Niklas Moisander was sent off for his collecting his second yellow card of the night and will now be suspended for the second leg.

Heidenheim  vs Werder Bremen Head-to-Head Stats

Stats Favor Bremen

For Bremen – who have won the Bundesliga four times – relegation is unthinkable in a season that began with talk of a top-six finish, but in a stop-start campaign, they have struggled to find any consistency. Only last-day heroics, when they beat FC Cologne 6-1, prevented automatic relegation and offered them this second chance.

Heidenheim – who finished third in Bundesliga 2 –  have never played in the German top flight but will see this as a huge opportunity – the type of opportunity that doesn’t come along too often. And while they won’t have a noisy, bouncing Voith-Arena roaring them on, they will be looking to make the most of home advantage.

?️ Florian #Kohfeldt:

"We can't allow this situation to affect our concentration."

Captain Niklas #Moisander is suspended for the game in Heidenheim on Monday after being shown a second yellow last night. #werder pic.twitter.com/pB218hQPdI

— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) July 3, 2020

Traditionally, it’s the team from the Bundesliga that prevails in these playoff games, with them winning eight of the last 11, but it can be done. As recently as last season, it was the Bundesliga 2 team that triumphed when Union Berlin beat VfB Stuttgart on the away-goals rule when they drew 2-2 in Stuggart before drawing 0-0 back in Berlin.

It was the type of result Heidenheim manager Frank Schmidt was looking for; one that could only have been bettered if his team had nicked an away goal

Heidenheim’s Defense Could Be Key

It’s possible this season’s playoff could be equally as close and, while Heidenheim were justifiably delighted with the draw in Bremen, their failure to score an away goal may be what ultimately decides this tie. They do though have a good defensive record behind them this season, having kept 17 clean sheets in their 37 competitive games, and will be confident of shutting out Bremen for the second time in four days.

For their part, Bremen will want to forget Thursday night’s draw as soon as possible and return to the mindset that saw them put six past Cologne on the final day when the pressure gauge was on eleven.

So, while no-one will be scoring six in this one, expect it to be a more open game than Thursday when nerves and the importance of the occasion impacted on the spectacle. Heidenheim will definitely fancy their chances and with that extra belief, I see them sneaking an odd-goal victory. At almost 3/1, this looks great value

Pick: Heidenheim to win (+289)