Friday night pits the wits of 5th placed Union Berlin against 3rd placed Bayer Leverkusen in what promises to be a mouthwatering clash in the German top flight with both teams seeking to enhance their credentials for a possible top four finish in the Bundesliga.
Union Berlin extended their unbeaten record in the Bundesliga to five matches without defeat on the weekend when they drew 2-2 at home with 6th placed Wolfsburg which followed previous back-to-back wins against Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen.
It’s been a solid campaign so far in this season’s Bundesliga for Friday night’s hosts, Union Berlin, as they’ve suffered just two defeats throughout the season to date while form and results at home have also been consistent.
An opening home defeat against Augsburg 3-1 saw Union Berlin off to an inauspicious start but the hosts have since put together a solid looking unbeaten run of seven matches at their Stadion An der Alten Försterei but they’ll face one of their toughest tests yet in the shape of Bayer Leverkusen who have beaten them in each of their previous four meetings on the trot.
Onto Bayer Leverkusen then and the visitors currently occupy 3rd place in the Bundesliga standings but as they’re just two points shy of 2nd placed RB Leipzig, Leverkusen know a win at Union Belrin would lift them up into 2nd spot and just a point behind the Bundesliga leaders, Bayern Munich.
However, this may not be as straightforward as it first appears as Leverkusen have failed to win any of their last three matches in the German top flight following defeats against Bayern Munich 2-1 at home and a 2-1 loss away from home at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bayer Leverkusen avoided a third defeat on the trot on the weekend with a 1-1 draw at home with Werder Bremen but even that result was disappointing for a side who are pushing for Champions League football next season.
Prior to that loss at Eintracht Frankfurt though, Leverkusen had produced an impressive five-match winning streak on their travels with wins collected at Mainz, Freiburg, Arminia Bielefeld, Schalke and Koln.
With their previous history of holding the upper hand over their hosts, Union Berlin, Leverkusen could register a narrow win in Berlin on Friday night.