Dimitrios Grammozis talks Heidenheim and his side’s match preparations

“We’re expecting to bounce back in this game,” said Dimitrios Grammozis ahead of the away fixture in Heidenheim. The coach added that his side were very disappointed to be knocked out of the cup, because “we absolutely wanted to progress to the next round”, which the team clearly showed in the second half of the tie on Tuesday. “We played much better after going a man down,” added the 43-year-old, who has used the time between matches to analyse the defeat alongside his backroom staff and the team.

S04 have undergone preparations for this game against 11th-placed Heidenheim in the south of Germany. The team stayed over in Munich following the match against 1860 and had a training session there the day after the game before they travelled to Ostalb on Thursday (28th October). “It’s been really beneficial to stay together as a whole group for a few days. Our group discussions have been more intense and in the evenings, it’s all been much more relaxed without any time pressures, which has been really important. The players have been able to overcome the loss in the DFB-Pokal together,” commented the head coach.

He adds that engagement in training sessions has been very high. “I’ve seen on the training pitch just how focused the lads have been and that they want to continue playing like they have been in the league in Heidenheim,” said Grammozis. The head coach will have to continue to be without Dominick Drexler, because the nasty wound he suffered during the last-minute win over Hannover a couple of weeks ago has not completely healed yet.

Latza could return to the starting XI

Mehmet Can Aydin, who picked up an injury against FC Ingolstadt, may be an option for Friday night’s game. “Memo has been able to participate in every training session,” reported Grammozis, who also has Danny Latza in his potential plans for the starting line-up. The captain, who was absent for three months due to a knee injury, recently returned to action with short appearances against Dresden and 1860 München, is being gradully brought back to full involvement. “It’s important to me that he’s in a good condition, and now he’s proven that. Danny is ready and feeling good, so I’m taking him into consideration.”

S04 head coach expects a hard-fought match

“It’s very tight at the top of the table, which makes every game a real test. On the pitch, there aren’t many favourites. Maybe on paper, you’d look at the names or the history of the clubs, but on the pitch, it means nothing. You have to prove your worth in every game, just as we have to here in Heidenheim,” emphasised the head coach. “I know how difficult Bundesliga 2 is. We’ve picked up some important points in recent games, but we’ve had to work hard for those results.”

Grammozis is particularly impressed with the work of Frank Schmidt, who is now into his 14th season in charge of FC Heidenheim. “He does an excellent job every year. FCH gradually improve their team year by year, so they can play implement the style of football they want to play. Frank Schmidt demands his players to be intense and play with passion, and he’s assembled a powerful team with a good mentality, but also one which knows how to play football, so I’m expecting a really intense game.”