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Union Berlin return to Bundesliga play on Saturday against Hoffenheim, after making their Champions League debut at the Bernabeu in midweek.

The UCL debutants were defeated by Real Madrid late on Wednesday, while Hoffenheim extended their winning streak to three games with a win over FC Koln last time out.

Union Berlin could not have asked for a more difficult start to their first Champions League campaign, as Urs Fischer's men were tested against Real Madrid, who have won the prestigious trophy a record 14 times.

Union Berlin endured a challenging match at the Bernabeu, where they managed just 24% possession and had to withstand a relentless onslaught of 32 shots. Their troubles were compounded by the fact that they couldn't muster a single shot on target. The only goal of the game, cruelly for Union Berlin, came from Jude Bellingham, deep into second-half stoppage time, leaving Die Eisernen heartbroken.

This unfortunate defeat marked the third consecutive loss for Fischer's side across all competitions. It followed a 3-0 setback against RB Leipzig and a 2-1 loss to Wolfsburg. Despite these recent disappointments, Union Berlin remains within striking distance of the early leaders in the Bundesliga.

Union Berlin commenced their season in impressive fashion, notching successive 4-1 victories against Mainz and Darmstadt. Consequently, they approach their upcoming fixture with a degree of confidence, hoping to return to their winning ways. However, they face a formidable challenge in the form of an in-form Hoffenheim side.

Hoffenheim started their Bundesliga campaign with a 2-1 defeat against Freiburg. Nevertheless, they quickly rebounded from their opening-day setback, securing three consecutive wins. These victories placed them three points ahead of Union Berlin in the early Bundesliga standings.

Hoffenheim's recent run of form saw them clinch a 3-2 victory over Heidenheim, followed by a 3-1 win against Wolfsburg and another 3-1 triumph over FC Koln. Impressively, 20-year-old forward Maximilian Beier found the back of the net in each of these victories.

As a result, Hoffenheim has scored three goals in each of their last three matches, accumulating nine points in the process. Only the top two teams in the league, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, have collected more points than Die Kraichgauer this season.

While Union Berlin maintained an unbeaten record in all 17 of their home league games last season, including 11 wins and six draws, Hoffenheim can draw confidence from their flawless away record in the current campaign. They have already secured two away victories in the 2023-24 season, making them a formidable opposition for Union Berlin.

Hoffenheim is also without many players due to injuries, including Marco John (ankle), Dennis Geiger (muscle), and Bambase Conte (fitness) ahead of Saturday's match.

Matarazzo may be tempted to persist with the same starting lineup that led the team to its third straight win last weekend, with new acquisition Wout Weghorst partnering in-form striker Maximilian Beier in attack.

Former Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak is anticipated to join John Brooks and Kevin Vogt in a back three, while goalkeeper Oliver Baumann will keep his spot between the posts.

Following Wednesday's efforts against Real Madrid, Union Berlin's legs will most certainly be exhausted, which means Fischer may make multiple changes to the starting XI at the Bernabeu.

Kevin Behrens, who has four goals in four Bundesliga games this season, including a hat-trick against Mainz on the opening weekend, will stay in the hosts' forward line with Sheraldo Becker.

With Laurenz Dehl (Achilles), Rani Khedira (calf), Robin Knoche (leg), and Andras Schafer (foot) out due to injury, Fischer faces a selection conundrum, but the astute manager will stick to his preferred 3-5-2 formation.

Pellegrino Matarazzo, the coach of Hoffenheim, has no health concerns going into this game because his team is fully injury-free.

In our opinion, Hoffenheim should line up with Oliver Baumann, Ozan Kabak, Kevin Vogt, John Anthony Brooks, Pavel Kaderabek, Grischa Prömel, Andrej Kramaric, Robert Skov, Florian Grillitsch, Wouter Weghorst, and Maximilian Beier in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

Union Berlin will be aiming to bounce back from their recent performance, which saw them suffer a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League against Real Madrid. In that particular match, Union Berlin struggled to maintain possession, only managing 25%, and had just four attempts on goal, none of which found the target. In contrast, Real Madrid dominated with 32 goal attempts, seven of which were on target. Jude Bellingham was the sole scorer for Real Madrid in the 90th minute.

Lately, Union Berlin has struggled to display a robust defensive performance, conceding goals in five of their last six matches, letting in a total of eight goals during that period. It remains to be seen if this defensive trend will persist in their upcoming match.

Hoffenheim, on the other hand, enters this contest with confidence following their 3-1 victory over Cologne in the Bundesliga. In that game, Hoffenheim held 44% possession, took 13 shots on goal, and managed to get five of them on target. Andrej Kramarić, Florian Grillitsch, and Maximilian Beier were the goal scorers for Hoffenheim, while Cologne had 18 goal attempts, with seven on target. Davie Selke scored Cologne's lone goal in the 61st minute.

Hoffenheim has displayed a strong attacking prowess in their recent matches, finding the back of the net 15 times in their last six games. However, they also need to address their defensive vulnerabilities as they have conceded goals in six of those matches.

Reviewing their previous head-to-head encounters dating back to February 11, 2020, Union Berlin has won three of these matches, while Hoffenheim has won one, and two matches have ended in draws. These matches have been characterized by a high number of goals, with a total of 23 scored, averaging approximately 3.83 goals per match.

Their most recent league meeting occurred on May 20, 2023, on Bundesliga match day 33, where Hoffenheim emerged victorious with a 4-2 scoreline against Union Berlin. During that game, Hoffenheim held 43% possession and had 10 goal attempts, five of which were on target. The scorers for Hoffenheim were Ihlas Bebou, Andrej Kramarić (twice), and Mu'nas Dabbur. Union Berlin had 18 shots at goal, with three on target, and saw Danilho Doekhi and Aïssa Laïdouni find the back of the net.