Union Berlin's top-four challenge continues this weekend as they travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach looking to retain their Champions League spot.
A disappointing 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Bochum last Sunday saw them lose their grip on that precious European place.
Urs Fischer's side is currently in a three-way fight for the final two spots with it looking increasingly likely that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have secured the top two spots for next season.
Below the Bundesliga's most established duo is where the dogfight lies.
Competing with Union are RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg, Union have 52 points with Leipzig at 51 and Freiburg at 50. For the club from the capital, it has been a remarkable campaign to still be in such a lofty position with the season reaching its conclusion.
This has been orchestrated by Fischer's onus on team ethic and hard work, two factors that are non-negotiable when recruiting players for the group. Every year the Swiss coach seems capable of eking more and more out of his team as they continue to improve each term.
As for their opponents on Sunday, Borussia Mönchengladbach has endured another season of mediocrity. Sat in 10th, they aren't going to get relegated but are unlikely to be playing European football of any kind next year either.
This term has somewhat been a repeat of the 2021/22 under Adi Hütter with a real lack of consistency in performances as shown by the highs against Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig but also by the dismal defeats to Hertha, Mainz and Werder Bremen.
The biggest issue this causes is the effect on finances and the squad they are left with. For instance, both Marcus Thuram and Ramy Bensebaini have confirmed they will be leaving the club when their contracts expire in the summer. Neither will be easy to replace for a cheap sum of cash.
-
Team News
Daniel Farke has almost a full complement of players for this weekend with Manu Koné returning after suspension.
Youngster, Yvandro Borges Sanches is the only absentee as he has suffered ligament damage.
Andras Schäfer remains the only player injured for Union with a foot problem. Paul Jaeckel's red card against Bochum also means he misses Sunday's affair.
-
Likely lineups
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Omlin; Scally, Itakura, Elvedi, Bensebaini; Plea, Neuhaus, Koné, Weigl, Hofmann; Thuram
Rønnow; Doekhi, Leite, Knoche; Juranovic, Haberer, Laïdouni, Khedira, Trimmel; Becker, Behrens
-
Key players
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Manu Koné is arguably Die Fohlen's biggest hope for the future with the French centre midfielder providing an air of grace for two seasons now. At only 21, Koné has his entire career ahead of him to look forward to.
However, due to Gladbach's stagnation in recent years, there is a chance he will depart Borussia-Park relatively soon. Some of Europe's elite clubs have been glancing over with reports linking Koné to PSG, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The Frenchman's stand-out attribute is his elusive dribbling and his ability to drive up the pitch. Highlighted by his 2.05 successful take-ons per 90, putting him in the 99th percentile for midfielders, Koné is also strong defensively with an impressive 2.61 tackles per 90, showing he would be capable of performing in the intense environment of the Premier League.
Robin Knoche has seen the rebirth of his career in Köpenick with the 30-year-old becoming a cornerstone at the back for Fischer's side. Knoche first broke onto the scene under Dieter Hecking at Wolfsburg, forming a strong partnership with Bundesliga icon, Naldo.
However, he struggled for game time under various coaches in the autostadt but was given an opportunity like many before and after him to revive his career at Union.
It has turned out to be a masterstroke by both player and club with Knoche even becoming the club's penalty taker although he did miss one in an important clash with Freiburg in November.
Quite interestingly, Knoche will be facing off against former team-mate, Marvin Friedrich on Sunday. But after Friedrich's success in the capital he has had a disappointing time so far in Mönchengladbach, recently complaining about game time with Nico Elvedi and Ko Itakura preferred to the former Union man.
Match details
Where is the game being played?
The game is being played at Borussia-Park in Mönchengladbach.
What time is the kick-off?
The game kicks-off at 18:30 GMT on Sunday.
How can I watch it?
The game will be available to watch on Sky Sports Football YouTube.
You can also follow all the news and views right here with VAVEL.