Mauro Lustrinelli believes the next step for his Union Berlin team is producing consistent performances away from home as they make the trip to Freiburg on Sunday.

Union travel to the Europa-Park Stadion hoping to sign off for the international break with a win and pull further clear of the bottom three in the Bundesliga. 

Lustrinelli's team have not won in the league since October 10 after a 1-0 victory over Elversberg, and it has been away from home in the top flight where they have struggled.

They have won only two of their 13 Bundesliga away games in 2026, collecting just nine of a possible 39 points on offer. 

Indeed, only Borussia Monchengladbach (seven) and Koln (six) have picked up fewer points on the road among teams to have played in the top flight throughout the entire year.

Union sit 16th in the table and take on a Freiburg side who are within touching distance of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at the summit, and Lustrinelli acknowledged the challenge that awaited his players this weekend. 

"We want to show our true face away from home, actually, regardless of where we play. That is the challenge for the next step," Lustrinelli said.

"Freiburg are a good opponent and a very organised team who also delivered a strong performance in Turkiye on Thursday.

"We want to be aware of this challenge to maximise our chances."

A vital point in the best stadium in the world. Cheers, Unioner. Eisern! https://t.co/zNc6nQ9RAr

— 1. FC Union Berlin (English) (@fcunion_en) November 1, 2026

Freiburg, meanwhile, arrive into the clash with confidence having put together three consecutive wins across all competitions.

They beat Trabzonspor 1-0 at Papara Park in the Conference League on Thursday, moving them up to 14th in the 36-team standings. 

Lukas Kubler scored the only goal in the 14th minute, with the Bundesliga side able to keep the in-form Mohamed Salah quiet to ensure their victory. 

"We played very well in the first half and gave very little away," said Freiburg boss Julian Schuster. "I would have liked us to score a second goal before the break.

"But we said that if we weren't clinical enough in front of goal, it was important to make sure we defended everything that came our way."

Freiburg were made to work for their win, however, with Trabzonspor registering an expected goals (xG) total of 1.61 from their 15 shots, though only two of those were on target. 

"We knew this team would create chances in this stadium, but they were few and far between," Schuster added.

"That meant we were able to come away with a very important victory."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Freiburg – Igor Mantanovic

Matanovic has scored 10 of his 15 Bundesliga goals for the club after the 60th minute. Since the start of last season, only Bayern Munich's Harry Kane has scored more goals in the final third of matches in the competition (19).

In addition, only three players have had more shots on target in the Bundesliga this season than the Croatian (13).

Union Berlin – ​Janik Haberer

Haberer recently scored in consecutive Bundesliga appearances for only the second time in his career, having previously done so in January 2017 while playing for Freiburg.

The last Union player to score in three consecutive Bundesliga games was Kevin Behrens over three and a half years ago, between March and April 2023.

Diaries out, Unioner https://t.co/CAPqy9WVMw

— 1. FC Union Berlin (English) (@fcunion_en) November 5, 2026

MATCH PREDICTION: FREIBURG WIN

Freiburg are facing Union for the 21st time in all competitions, with Freiburg currently on their longest winless run against them in seven meetings (D3 L4).

Among the teams Freiburg have faced at least 10 times in the Bundesliga, they have a lower win percentage only against Bayern Munich (8%) and Borussia Dortmund (10%) than they do against Union (14%).

But with 16 points from eight matches, Freiburg are enjoying their joint second-best Bundesliga start, with only the 2022-23 season seeing them collect more at this stage (17). They are seven points better off than they were at this point last season. 

At the opposite end of the table, however, with seven points from eight matches, Union are enduring their joint second-worst Bundesliga start, with only 2023-24 seeing them with fewer at this stage (six).

There is hope, though. Union are unbeaten in their last four Bundesliga games (W1 D3), their longest such run within a single season since a five-game streak around the turn of the year in 2025-26.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Freiburg – 60.9%

Draw – 20.7%

Union Berlin – 18.4%