With the battle for places at the top end of the Bundesliga beginning to heat up, Union Berlin host fellow high-flyers Freiburg in the matchweek ten curtain raiser in Berlin on Friday evening.
The hosts currently sit seventh after securing 15 points from their first nine Bundesliga matches this campaign. After a loss against leaders Bayern München, Union now sit a place behind this week's visitors, Freiburg, who played out a 0-0 draw with Mainz last time out.
Bo Svensson's Union side has been poor attacking-wise despite their solid start when points are considered. The club have scored just nine goals, the joint second-worst in the league thus far in the campaign, however, they do carry the third-best defensive record in the top flight, having conceded just eight times.
Freiburg, on the other hand, have had a great start to life under Julian Schuster, who took over at the club in the summer, replacing the legendary Christian Streich.
However, Breisgau-Brasilianer's stalemate with Mainz was their first draw of the season, with Schuster's side being restricted to just two shots on target.
Nonetheless, it has been a fantastic start to the season for the club. European football is back on the cards after the club somewhat dropped out of the picture for large parts of last campaign, and the club is through to the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal after overcoming Hamburg in the previous round.
Schuster's side progressed to the third round of the DFB-Pokal when they beat Hamburger SV 2-1 in late October, with their victory being the seventh time they have scored at least two goals in a game this term.
Team News
Union Berlin
Union Berlin have minimal injury issues to manage at the moment, although right-back Josip Juranovic and goalkeeper Yannic Stein are sidelined until later in November.
Frederik Ronnow is expected to start in goal, likely protected by a back three of Danilho Doekhi, Kevin Vogt, and Diogo Leite.
Midfielder Lucas Tousart remains uncertain for the upcoming game, and if he isn’t ready in time, Svensson may opt for a double pivot featuring Aljoscha Kemlein and Rani Khedira.
Freiburg
Freiburg will be missing defenders Jordy Makengo, Kenneth Schmidt, and Manuel Gulde, which means their backline might consist of Lukas Kübler, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Lienhart, and Christian Günter.
With midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh out until late November, it’s likely that Maximilian Eggestein and Patrick Osterhage will team up in central midfield.
Additionally, forward Merlin Röhl is unavailable, so Ritsu Doan, Eren Dinkci, and Vincenzo Grifo are expected to support striker Chukwubuike Adamu up front.
Likely lineups
Union Berlin (3-4-3): Ronnow; Doekhi, Vogt, Leite; Trimmel, Kemlein, Khedira, Rothe; Jeong, Jordan, Vertessen
Freiburg (4-2-3-1): Atubolu; Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart, Günter; Eggestein, Osterhage; Doan, Dinkci, Grifo; Adamu
Players to Watch
Union Berlin - Tom Rothe
Operating in the midfield for the hosts, Tim Rothe is at the heart of everything for Union, particularly down the left-hand side, where his energy and work rate prove crucial for Bo Svennsson's side.
The 20-year-old has started seven Bundesliga matches out of a possible nine this campaign and is continuing to grow in importance and stature in the capital.
Freiburg - Vincenzo Grifo
At 31, Vincenzo Grifo continues to age like a fine wine. With eight goal contributions thus far in the Bundesliga, the Pforzheim born Italian is already halfway towards his tally of 16 from last campaign.
Operating on the left hand side for Julian Schuster, as he was for Christian Streich, Grifo is undoubtedly the man that freiburg can count on.
Match Information
Where is the match being played?
The match will take place at Stadion An der Alter Försterei in Berlin.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 19:30 BST.
Where can I watch?
Viewers in the UK can watch the clash live on Sky Sports, whilst viewers in the USA can tune in via ESPN+.