Bayer Leverkusen will endeavour to move one step closer to clinching their first-ever Bundesliga title when they travel to Stadion An der Alten Forsterei to face Union Berlin on Saturday afternoon.
Die Werkself are looking to complete their first league double over the Iron Ones since 2019-20 after cruising to a 4-0 home victory in the reverse fixture in November.
Match preview
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This time last year, Union Berlin were exceeding expectations en route to securing a surprise yet deserved top-four finish, but they now find themselves down in 12th place with 22 fewer points than at this stage of last season and are on course to end the campaign in mid-table.
The Iron Ones were sitting in the relegation zone when Nenad Bjelica took charge in November, but the Croatian has since steadied the ship and moved his side away from danger, with a gap of nine points now separating them from 16th-placed Mainz 05 in the relegation playoff position.
Union Berlin entered the international break on a high with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen, their fifth victory across their last seven home league matches, before collecting a point in a goalless stalemate at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
Bjelica's men are now preparing for a daunting contest against runaway leaders Leverkusen, whom they have failed to beat or score against in their last three meetings, conceding nine goals in the process.
Celebrating success on Saturday will be a tall order for Union Berlin, as Leverkusen continue to go from strength to strength as they endeavour to end the campaign with at least a domestic double, or even a remarkable treble including Europa League glory.
Die Werkself extended their record-breaking unbeaten run in all competitions to 40 matches when they cruised to a 4-0 home win over 2. Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf on Wednesday to advance to the DFB-Pokal final, where they will face another second-tier side in Kaiserslautern on May 25.
Leverkusen's undefeated streak was never under threat against Dusseldorf, in stark contrast to last weekend's Bundesliga encounter with Hoffenheim when goals scored in the 88th and 91st minutes from Robert Andrich and Patrik Schick respectively helped Xabi Alonso's side come from behind to win 2-1 in dramatic fashion at the BayArena.
With only seven games remaining, Leverkusen now sit 13 points clear at the top of the table after their nearest challengers and reigning champions Bayern Munich suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund, all but ending their hopes of winning a 12th successive title.
Leverkusen, who have already secured Champions League football for next season and have equalled their best-ever points haul for a single Bundesliga season (73), will fancy their chances of claiming another positive result on Saturday, as they have only lost one of their last 12 meetings with Union Berlin in all competitions, although they did draw 0-0 in their last visit to Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in April last year.
Team News
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Union Berlin duo Jerome Roussillon and Jakob Busk are both ruled out with calf injuries, while Janik Haberer is sidelined with a muscle problem.
However, Andras Schafer is available to return from a one-match suspension and is in contention to replace Brenden Aaronson in an advanced midfield role, while Kevin Volland will be pushing for a recall in attack at the expense of Mikkel Kaufmann.
As for Leverkusen, their only injury concern is with defender Arthur who is closing in on a return after recovering from a significant thigh injury that has kept him sidelined since August last year.
Victor Boniface, who is still the club's top scorer with 16 goals despite missing the last four months with a groin injury, made his long-awaited comeback as a second-half substitute in midweek and the Nigerian is in contention to feature again in some capacity on Saturday.
Exequiel Palacios watched on as an unused substitute after recovering from a thigh problem, and the Argentine is set to compete with Andrich and Granit Xhaka for a start in centre-midfield, while in-form Florian Wirtz, who has scored five goals in his last six games, is expected to start in attack.
Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Ronnow; Doekhi, Vogt, Leite; Khedira; Trimmel, Tousart, Schafer, Gosens; Vertessen, Volland
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Hofmann, Wirtz; Schick
We say: Union Berlin 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
It is difficult to back against a relentless Leverkusen outfit that will want to wrap up the title at the earliest opportunity so that they can shift their focus to both the Europa League and DFB-Pokal in the latter stages of the campaign.
Union Berlin have largely impressed on home soil in recent months and have not lost any of their last three meetings with Leverkusen in front of their own fans, but celebrating success against the in-form league leaders may be a step too far this time around.
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Oliver Thomas
