Union Berlin have only one win in their last six games in all competitions and now find themselves five points adrift at the top of Bundesliga.
The capital side have been struggling of late with European football exploits starting to affect the side’s league performances.
Urs Fischer’s side drew 3-3 against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday night in their Europa League last-16 first leg tie.
The Berlin club’s travelling fans will be hoping they don’t have a hangover once again as they travel to Lower Saxony to face Niko Kovac’s Wolfsburg side.
Kovac’s side themselves only have one win in their last seven matches after finishing 2022 as one of the Bundesliga’s most in-form teams.
The Wolves sit eighth in the table with aspirations of European football still in sight with Eintracht Frankfurt in 6th place only five points ahead of them.
Team News
The Wolves will have to play Union Berlin without captain and key man Maximilian Arnold as he serves a one match suspension due to accumulation of yellow cards.
Bartol Franjic, the summer signing, is the only other player unavailable to Kovac as he continues to recover from a muscular injury.
Central defender Maxence Lacroix is a doubt for this weekend’s clash.
How Kovac deals with not having his captain Arnold will be a key part of Sunday evening’s match.
The away side despite their congested schedule of late only go into the match with one unavailable player.
The aforementioned player is András Schäfer as the Hungarian is currently out with a foot injury.
Going into a hectic period for the club, Fischer will be happy with the amount of players available to him.
Likely Lineups
Casteels, Baku, Bornauw, Van de Ven, Otavio, Svanberg, Gerhardt, Paredes, Wimmer, Marmoush, Kaminski
Ronnow, Doekhi, Knoche, Leite, Juranovic, Khedira, Haberer, Laïdouni, Gießelmann, Becker, Siebatcheu
Key Players
Wolfsburg: Yannick Gerhardt
Yannick Gerhardt has been at Wolfsburg since 2016 and has always been a steady performer but he has never got the limelight or praise from fans and pundits alike.
This season though the one-time German International has been the main man for the Wolves.
The 28-year-old has picked up six goals and two assists from midfield making him the club’s top goal scorer this campaign.
The experienced midfielder will be key on Sunday especially in the absence of captain Arnold.
Union Berlin: Danilho Doekhi
When Danilho Doekhi signed in the summer from Vitesse after impressing in the Netherlands not many fans would have believed how key he would have been this season for Union.
The 24-year-old has been a key part of Union Berlin’s three man defence, which has led the capital club to third in the Bundesliga and into the last 16 of the Europa League.
The central defender has also been amongst the goals this season with four to his name making him the club’s third top goal scorer.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match is being played at the Volkswagen Arena.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off for this round 24 match is scheduled to be at 18:30 GMT.
How can I watch?
The match will be available to UK viewers on Sky Sports Mix while US viewers can watch on ESPN+.
