Bundesliga Matchday 32, Friday, 02.05.2025 at 20:30
The 32nd matchday in the Bundesliga kicks off tonight with a real final battle for survival in the league. Can VfL keep their hopes of staying in the top flight alive? That’s the question my Heidenheim Bochum tip revolves around.
The visitors need to get at least one point at the Voith Arena in the Swabian Alb. A defeat would see the Ruhr club relegated from the top flight for the seventh time.
The Blue and Whites managed to avoid relegation in the previous season. However, after losing 3-0 at home in the first leg, the club was on the brink of relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga.
But in the second leg, Bochum won 3-0 at Fortuna to force a penalty shootout, where they came out on top 6-5. What kind of miraculous escape does VfL have in store this time?
The bookmakers’ odds, which include several providers offering Apple Pay and PayPal sports betting, have the home side as slight favorites.
However, I’m going against the odds in my Heidenheim Bochum prediction and going for the “double chance X2” bet at 1.60 with Bet-at-home.
The betting providers’ prediction?
Coach Frank Schmidt’s men are in 16th place ahead of their clash with VfL. They are two places and four points ahead of their upcoming opponents. The Heidenheim Bochum odds are therefore in favor of the home side.
For a win for the Swabians, you get odds of 2.28 on average. On the other side, a win for the away team is priced at between 2.95 and 3.05.
AI prediction Heidenheim vs Bochum: This is what ChatGPT is betting on
ChatGPT is also eagerly watching the relegation battle in the Bundesliga and has formed its opinion on this supposed final match. But once again, the AI doesn’t quite meet my taste.
I can most live with the tip “Both teams to score,” for which we get odds of 1.61 at Merkur Bets. Of course, the motto here is: low risk and low return.
However, this bet is still not a sure thing. After all, two extremely weak offensive teams are facing each other here. As a new customer, you should definitely secure the Merkur Bets new customer bonus before placing your Heidenheim Bochum bet!
For the medium-risk tip (“Heidenheim win”), the odds at Winamax rise to 2.30. But as you can see from my Heidenheim Bochum prediction, I don’t have much faith in the league’s weakest home team on Friday.
ChatGPT is also not entirely convinced. With a high risk, the AI recommends betting on “Bochum to win & over 2.5 goals.” Here, odds of 4.20 await you at Bwin.
Before that, you could redeem the current Bwin voucher. However, VfL has only managed five wins this season. And only in one case did they score more than two goals. So, as always, this suggestion should be treated with caution.
Analysis: Heidenheim vs Bochum
1. FC Heidenheim came out of their three matches against top teams Leverkusen (0-1), Frankfurt (0-3), and Bayern Munich (0-4) without a point and without a goal. So coach Frank Schmidt’s men were under pressure in the derby at VfB.
And in Stuttgart, statistics such as the expected goals (0.27 to 1.87), total shots (6:19) and possession (30%) did not really favor the visitors. But with a lucky punch in the 89th minute, FCH still took home the three points.
In the second half, the team once again impressed with their typical virtues and held their ground against the constant pressure from the home side. The men from the Alb threw themselves into every shot.
Despite this undoubtedly fortunate victory, Heidenheim remain in 16th place, which means they will face a relegation play-off. With three matchdays remaining, they are five points behind safety and three points ahead of 17th place.
With just ten points from 15 games, FCH is the weakest home team in the league. Only St. Pauli (10) has conceded fewer home goals. In the second half of the season, eleven points will only be enough for second-last place.
Coach Frank Schmidt is expected to be without Budu Zivzivadze again on Friday.
Odds analysis
Those who, like me, have issues with the AI’s suggestions must, of course, provide their own Heidenheim Bochum predictions. Unlike the AI and the bookmakers, I expect a low-scoring game.
Two of the three weakest defenses are facing each other. But Heidenheim (15th place, 33 goals) and Bochum (17th place, 28 goals) are also at the bottom of the table in terms of goals scored.
Heidenheim has only scored two goals in its last five games. And VfL has scored four goals in its last six games (one per game). So I’m going to put other tips on my betting slip.
I would go for “Both teams to score – No” at odds of 2.23 at VBET after redeeming the current VBET promo voucher. And with odds of 2.05 at Admiralbet, I would bet on “Under 2.5 goals.”
Heidenheim vs Bochum: Hope dies last
The situation came to a head for Bochum again on the last matchday. Their rivals Kiel and Heidenheim won their games. And VfL could only manage a 1-1 draw at home against Union Berlin.
The expected goals (1.51 to 0.29), total shots (10:5) and possession (66%) all spoke in favor of the home side. The team also showed a lot of passion and aggression on the pitch again.
However, the team once again lacked pace and ideas going forward. The penalty area was the end of the line. Coach Dieter Hecking is particularly concerned about the offense.
The Blue and Whites are only 18th in terms of chances converted (20.3%). Just five wins in 31 games is, of course, the record of a relegation candidate. The draw against Union saw the Ruhr club slip to last place.
However, the coach wants to keep the principle of hope alive. When he took over the job at Castroper Straße, the team was “dead as a doornail.” But it is still alive.
They are one point behind 17th place. With three games to go before the end of the season, they are four points away from the relegation spot. Safety is already out of reach (9 points). At least Sissoko will be available again on Friday.
VfL is hoping for a good result against FCH
The two clubs have faced each other 18 times so far. Fourteen of those matches were played in the 2nd Bundesliga. In head-to-head comparisons, Bochum has the clear upper hand with ten wins to four defeats (4 draws).
VfL’s record against FCH in the top flight is also impressive. Last season, both encounters ended in a draw. A 0-0 draw in Heidenheim was followed by a 1-1 draw at Castroper Straße.
In the first leg of the current season, the Blue and Whites also celebrated their first victory against the Swabians in League 1. The final score of 2-0 was already set after 36 minutes. With statistics such as 1.64 xG (to 0.59) and 14-10 total shots, the victory was well deserved in the end.
Bochum has played nine times in the Swabian Alb across all competitions and leagues. However, the record here is slightly negative, with four defeats, three wins (2 draws) and 13:13 goals.
My Heidenheim Bochum tip:
VfL needs at least one point to keep their hopes alive. And I think the visitors are capable of getting at least that much on Friday in the Swabian Alb. There are several reasons for this.
On the one hand, FCH is the weakest home team in the league. In addition, the Swabians are still without a win against Bochum in the top flight. Bochum can also keep up with Heidenheim in terms of fight and commitment.
My Heidenheim Bochum prediction is therefore: Double chance X2!
