Regular contributors Benedikt Gimber, Arijon Ibrahimovic, Hennes Behrens, Jonas Föhrenbach, and Mikkel Kaufman were unable to train regularly with the team this week. Striker Kaufmann will definitely miss the weekend match against Union Berlin. At his Friday pre-match press conference, Schmidt confirmed that wide man Sirlord Conteh is due for season ending knee surgery.
Heidenheim actually beat Union 1-2 away in the reverse fixture this season. Schmidt’s Ostalbenschwaben also managed to defeat Freiburg at home the following week. Unfortunately, they’ve not won in the Bundesliga since that early December game. Heidenheim – who have won only three league games all season – only had the Freiburg win to give back to their fans.
“We’ve sone a decent enough job for long stretches this season,” Schmidt remarked at the press conference. “But decent isn’t enough to pick up points in the Bundesliga. It’s incredibly difficult when you can’t celebrate a win for weeks and months. On the other hand, though, I see a team that hasn’t gotten used to it and always tries to get the most out of training. We desperately need these three points for our morale
“The players have to give it their all until the end and realize: This is the Bundesliga and a cause to celebrate, Schmidt continued. “You always have to give it your all, and I demand that from everyone. When I went to out to the barbers, the first person who saw me said: We’re not getting relegated. People also want to give something back after all the successful years past.“
