Sitting 16th in the standings, Wolfsburg faces bottom side St. Pauli, while 17th-placed Heidenheim hosts Mainz. All three teams are trying to secure the chance to contest a two-leg playoff against the third-placed side in the second division.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the tight race, Wolfsburg holds a three-goal advantage over Heidenheim and St. Pauli.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While St. Pauli has faded in recent weeks, once-written-off Heidenheim is moving toward what would be a remarkable escape, reports Xinhua.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Eight rounds ago, Heidenheim had a 10-point gap to 16th place.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt put it, the team's determined revival has now created \"something that couldn't be more thrilling for the fans.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We had been written off, and the upswing might come late, but hopefully not too late,\" he added, after his side took 12 points from the past seven games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 3-1 win over Cologne last Sunday has fueled optimism for Heidenheim. In that match, defender Jonas Fohrenbach played with a broken nose and wore a mask, while midfielder Niklas Dorsch returned for the closing minutes after suffering a concussion shortly before.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We had been written off, and the upswing might come late, but hopefully not too late,\" he added, after his side took 12 points from the past seven games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin spoke about the advantage of being the chasing side, as it leaves no room for miscommunication. \"But you have to take the pressure in a positive way,\" he said. <\/p>\r\n\r\n