A rebalanced Freiburg will welcome relegation-threatened Union Berlin to Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday, hoping to keep their unlikely Bundesliga title challenge alive.

Die Breisgau-Brasilianer are searching for a fourth win on the bounce, while Die Eisernen are eyeing a first victory in five games.

Match preview

Julian Schuster's Freiburg set a blistering pace across the initial stages of this season, stealing a march on the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to lead the Bundesliga after five matches.

However, Die Breisgau-Brasilianer hit a stumbling block when they were beaten 2-1 by Bayer Leverkusen on October 18, and followed up that defeat with two more - 3-0 at Monaco in the Conference League and 3-1 to Bayern in the German top flight.

That being said, Schuster's side have found their feet once again ahead of this weekend, with Thursday's 1-0 continental triumph over Trabzonspor marking a third consecutive win across all competitions.

Last time out in the Bundesliga, Freiburg came from behind to secure all three points in a 2-1 victory at Augsburg, courtesy of Igor Matanovic's fourth league goal of the season and an 85th-minute winner from 21-year-old Cyriaque Irie.

That success has Die Breisgau-Brasilianer third in the table, where their tally of 16 points puts them just two shy of leaders Bayern and second-placed Dortmund.

With that in mind, a fourth straight win could see Schuster's men go top on Sunday, though the manager will also be wary of the fact his team sit only three points above seventh-placed Elversberg.

Meanwhile, Mauro Lustrinelli's Union lost three of their first four Bundesliga outings this season, immediately putting them in the relegation zone, but they appear to have turned a corner.

Die Eisernen collected a point in a 1-1 draw with FC Koln last weekend, when they were unable to hold out after Janik Haberer gave them the lead with just 10 minutes on the clock.

That stalemate may have been frustrating given at the time, but Lustrinelli will be pleased with the broader context, which shows that his team are unbeaten across their past four league games, winning once.

Such newfound resilience has seen Union earn six of their seven-point total during that four-match run, and they now sit 16th in the table, two points behind all of the clubs up to 11th-placed Augsburg.

The Berliners' next target will be to escape the relegation zone entirely, but they will arrive at Europa-Park Stadion as underdogs and aware of the fact Schalke 04 are just one point behind in 17th.

Freiburg Bundesliga form:

Freiburg form (all competitions):

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

Union Berlin form (all competitions):

Team News

Freiburg have a generally fit squad for this clash, though midfielder Patrick Osterhage is a doubt due to a muscle problem that saw him sit out against Trabzonspor.

Thankfully for Schuster, Maximilian Eggestein and Yannik Engelhardt should be ready to start in his double pivot behind the more attack-minded Yuito Suzuki.

As for Union, they are missing Stanley Nsoki due to a calf injury, while fellow centre-back Felix Uduokhai is serving the final game of his suspension after being sent off during the 1-1 draw with Augsburg.

Wing-back options Andrik Markgraf and Robert Skov are also unavailable once again, so Marvin Friedrich, Rani Khedira and Zeno Van Den Bosch may form the visiting back three, flanked by Janik Haberer and Derrick Kohn.

Likewise, Aljoscha Kemlein is set to be sidelined on Sunday, though Andras Schafer and Michel Aebischer will be on hand to start in the centre of the park.

Elsewhere, striker Andrej Ilic is a doubt as he builds fitness following a lengthy layoff, but Tim Skarke and Livan Burcu should operate in a partnership up top, supported by Kastriot Imeri.

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Backhaus; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Engelhardt; Beste, Suzuki, Scherhant; Matanovic

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

Ronnow; Friedrich, Khedira, Van Den Bosch; Haberer, Schafer, Aebischer, Kohn; Imeri; Burcu, Skarke

We say: Freiburg 2-1 Union Berlin

Freiburg have rediscovered their form after a brief blip, and will be confident of taking all three points against one of the bottom three on Sunday.

However, Union have proven resilient in recent weeks and are unlikely to be easily beaten, so expect a close contest.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.