On Saturday at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, Union Berlin will host Hoffenheim in each team's fourth league match of the Bundesliga season.
The visitors are sixth bottom in 14th position with three points after three matchweeks, while the hosts are ninth with five points from their opening three league games and drew 0-0 with RB Leipzig on September 14.
Leipzig missed a penalty in the 74th minute, therefore Union Berlin was lucky to leave Red Bull Arena with a draw, even though they did suppress their opponents in open play.
The hosts defeated recently promoted St. Pauli in their league opener while possessing barely 40% of the ball, a recurring trend this season.
In their three top-tier games, Schlosserjungs had the second-lowest possession average among the 18 clubs in the division with 39.3%.
Beginning his first season as the team's manager, Bo Svensson ought to be able to return to the sidelines after being forced to miss his team's tie against Leipzig because of an infection.
In their four competitive games this season, Svensson's side has won twice, drawn twice, and scored just three goals while only giving up two goals.
Union Berlin had previously suffered three defeats at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei before winning their last two home games.
In their most recent outing on September 14, Hoffenheim suffered a 4-1 defeat to reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen. During that match, they held just 40% of possession, allowed five clear scoring opportunities, and faced 14 shots from within their own penalty area.
So far in the 2024-25 season, Hoffenheim have conceded 11 goals in four competitive games. They barely advanced past fourth-tier Wurzburger Kickers in the DFB Pokal's first round on August 16, needing a penalty shootout to secure the win.
One bright spot from Hoffenheim's first four games has been Andrej Kramaric’s outstanding form, as he has already netted four goals and provided one assist in Bundesliga action.
Following the defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, manager Pellegrino Matarazzo expressed frustration, noting that his team gave up goals "too easily," despite showing "several good spells" during the game.
As Hoffenheim prepare for their next match, they are struggling defensively, having kept only two clean sheets in their last 44 Bundesliga fixtures and suffering defeat in nine of their last 12 away league games.
Union Berlin, who prevailed in their most recent encounter, is hoping for a repeat victory. With a perfect record and home field advantage, the hosts will go into this match with a lot of confidence.
That will be amplified following the 0-0 tie with Leipzig. They've also improved defensively, and coming into this game, they've only let up one goal in their last four games this year.
They have just two goals in the Bundesliga, where three of those were played. Due to these poor scoring totals, Union Berlin has scored fewer than 2.5 goals in every game.
Although the visiting team often loses these types of matches, the previous season was an exception. Hoffenheim defeated 1-0 at home but prevailed 2-0 in the rematch.
The fact that this game almost never ends with fewer than three goals made those games unique as well. This season's Hoffenheim games have produced more of what makes this matchup famous. The visitors, who have suffered two straight losses, haven't had an easy time of it.
