Expect a tight game between Union Berlin and SC Freiburg this weekend, not only in terms of the scoreline, but also because these are the two most compact teams in the league when it comes to distances between players.

Finding gaps is going to be key, and SCF will need a certain amount of pain tolerance, as not only have they never won away at Union, but the Berlin side have also committed the most fouls of any Bundesliga team this season (114).

The availability of Eren Dinkçi and Patrick Osterhage is as of Friday lunchtime still up in the air. “There are still a couple of muscular issues there, but no major injuries, “said Julain Schuster, who spoke of “a lot of close decisions” still to be made ahead of his team’s trip to the capital. Philipp Lienhart is a confirmed absentee, as he serves his suspension following his dismissal from the game against Bayer Leverkusen. 

Last time out in Berlin and using the cup game as a confidence booster

Freiburg’s second-round win in the DFB-Pokal against Fortuna Düsseldorf was far from secure until Derry Scherhant made it 3-1 in the third minute of injury time. Steffen Baumgart’s Union side failed to break the deadlock against Arminia Bielefeld in normal time and were forced to go to extra time. Schuster doesn’t see this as an advantage for his side though: “Getting a win like that can help, but we’re really not dwelling on it.”

“Intensity, passion, commitment, attitude” – these are the attributes that Schuster claims will be essential for his side this weekend. Freiburg’s coach is encouraged by recent performances, both the cup game earlier in the week and the trip to Berlin around a year ago. Schuster believes that a first win against Union since the first round of the 2004/05 DFB-Pokal is well on the cards: “Last year, we had periods of good possession,” said Schuster. “That’s really important against their pressing and physicality. The Düsseldorf game was good preparation for this match. When we had the ball, we often had some good moments, which in an ideal world we’d have more of this time round.”