Both aiming to take a massive step towards top-flight safety, Union Berlin and VfL Bochum will lock horns at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei on Sunday afternoon in the Bundesliga.
Die Eisernen halted a worrying losing run by sharing the spoils with Borussia Monchengladbach last time out, whilst Die Unabsteigbaren came out on top of a five-goal thriller with Hoffenheim.
Match preview
© Reuters
Since returning from the first international break of 2024 in late March, Union Berlin have endured a concerning five-match winless run in the Bundesliga, meaning that their place at the top table of German football is under serious threat heading into the final three matches of the season.
That being said, Die Eisernen did manage to halt a three-game losing spell last Sunday when they travelled to Borussia Monchengladbach, with both Moritz Nicolas and Frederik Ronnow keeping clean sheets in the contest as the two sides played out a goalless draw.
Following their early-season trip to 14-time European champions Real Madrid in the Champions League, Nenad Bjelica's troops are now facing the cold reality of a scrap for survival in the Bundesliga, with the capital club still having plenty of work to do to stretch their stay in the first tier to a sixth campaign.
Heading into the final three matches of the league term, Die Eisernen currently occupy 14th position in the Bundesliga standings, two points ahead of Mainz 05 who lie in the relegation playoff spot.
Union will be delighted that two of their three remaining fixtures are scheduled to be played at their Berlin base, with Bjelica's side earning six of their eight Bundesliga victories in front of their home supporters this season.
© Reuters
Following an eight-game winless streak in the Bundesliga stretching back to late February, Bochum gave their hopes of avoiding relegation to Bundesliga 2 a massive boost last Friday when they defeated Hoffenheim 3-2 at Vonovia Ruhrstadion in front of a 24,000-strong crowd.
Die Unabsteigbaren raced into a commanding three-goal lead on the night after just 64 minutes courtesy of Kevin Stoger's brace and a second of the term for right-back Felix Passlack, and although a second-half double from Andrej Kramaric made things interesting during the closing stages, the hosts held on valiantly for three points.
The victory over Hoffenheim last time out was Heiko Butscher's first in charge of Bochum since taking charge of first-team affairs last month, with the 43-year-old given the remit of steering the club away from a return to Bundesliga 2 for the first time since their title-winning campaign of 2020-21.
Having lost just three matches at Vonovia Ruhrstadion in the Bundesliga this term, it is no surprise that Die Unabsteigbaren's away form is the primary reason behind their serious struggles at the bottom of the division, with Sunday's visitors collecting only seven points on the road so far, fewer than any of their top-flight counterparts.
Due to an inferior goal difference when compared to Union Berlin, Bochum sit just below this weekend's hosts in 15th place, with a win potentially enough for either side to rubber stamp their spot in the Bundesliga for the next campaign.
Team News
© Reuters
Union Berlin remain without the services of left-back Jerome Roussillon, who suffered a calf injury at the end of March and has failed to feature since.
In the absence of the Frenchman, Robin Gosens is highly likely to retain his spot on the left-hand side of a back five for Die Eisernen on Sunday afternoon.
Centre-back Kevin Vogt picked up a groin issue during the stalemate with Monchengladbach last time out, meaning that Diogo Leite and Danilho Doekhi will require a new partner in defence.
After picking up his 10th yellow card of the Bundesliga term versus Hoffenheim, Anthony Losilla will be unavailable for Bochum on their travels this weekend.
Die Unabsteigbaren are light of options in their goalkeeping department, with both Michael Esser and 25-year-old Niclas Thiede currently on the sidelines.
Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Ronnow; Doekhi, Knoche, Leite; Juranovic, Khedira, Tousart, Gosens; Aaronson; Volland, Kaufmann
VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:
Riemann; Passlack, Ordets, Schlotterbeck, Bernardo; Bero, Elezi, Stoger, Wittek; Broschinski, Hofmann
We say: Union Berlin 2-1 VfL Bochum
Despite their struggles in recent matches, Sunday's visit of Bochum represents a massive opportunity for Union Berlin to move closer to Bundesliga survival.
Die Unabsteigbaren are notoriously poor on their travels, therefore we cannot envisage Butscher's men earning anything from a trip to the capital this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
