Descent shock threatens: Bochum is fighting for the future in Heidenheim!

Descent shock threatens: Bochum is fighting for the future in Heidenheim!

On Friday, May 1, 2025, VfL Bochum faces a decisive game against 1. FC Heidenheim, which could seal the descent to the 2nd Bundesliga. The club is currently the bottom of the table with only 21 points and a gap of four points to the relegation place, which is covered by Heidenheim with 25 points. In the event of a defeat, this scenario would become a reality and further tighten the already tense situation of the association.

coach Dieter Hecking, who tried to stabilize the Bochumer after a catastrophic start to the season, is optimistic despite the challenging circumstances. He speaks of an "opportunity" and took the fear of the game to his team. During a meeting, he paid tribute to the character of his players, who would have got up again after difficult times. Nevertheless, the question remains how the team can master the pressure situation. "It is a final," said Hecking and emphasized the anticipation for the duel that starts at 8:30 p.m. and is transferred to DAZN.

squad and club situation

VfL Bochum has already mastered the return in the past, but the seventh relegation in club history is currently threatened. Only the 1. FC Nürnberg and Arminia Bielefeld have left the league more often with nine and eight descents. Despite the sporting crisis situation, the association is economically healthy, the license was granted without requirements, and the budget could still be considered high for the 2nd league, even if it would drop from 41 million euros to 23 million euros. However, planned squad changes throw shadows on the perspectives: Many loan players are not kept, and important players such as Bernardo, Ivan Ordets and Captain Anthony Losilla have uncertain future prospects.

Hecking, who took over on the 9th matchday when the team was the last of the winning, has had no victory in the past few weeks. The last success was a 3-2 victory against Bayern Munich on matchday 25, which gave hope at the bottom of the table for a short time. But after this positive experience, the performance decreased and you have now slipped to 18th place, which only makes relegation more likely.

increasing pressure in relegation battle

The situation for Bochum is further tightened by the results of Heidenheim and Holstein Kiel. Heidenheim recently defeated VfB Stuttgart, which is perceived as a small shock in the league, and Kiel won a highly dramatic game against Borussia Mönchengladbach with 4: 3. Both teams thus put VfL Bochum under massive pressure. The pressure on the direct competitors in the relegation battle, such as TSG Hoffenheim and FC St. Pauli, is also growing.

For Bochum, the game against Heidenheim becomes all the more meaningful when you consider that coach Hecking is available to the entire team, except for Koji Miyoshi, to bring about a change in this "final". With the help of around 3,000 fans present in the final training, the team could find the necessary motivation and support to master the challenging situation.

The VfL Bochum could descend against 1. FC Heidenheim on Friday, if you lose, report ZVW . In addition, Sport1 achieved that Heidenheim and Kiel scored the pressure on Bochum, which from Sportschau is confirmed.