1. FC Union Berlin will host 1. FC Heidenheim at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Sunday October 7 (13:30) for the ninth game of the 2.Bundesliga season.
Review: Both sides coming off wins
Union's 2-1 win at Ingolstadt on Monday night contributed to the seven points from a possible nine in the recent congested fixture schedule. As such, the Köpenick club have maintained their unbeaten record in the division — the only side to do so — and moved into second spot behind 1. FC Köln, the league leaders. Urs Fischer's side boast the best defensive record in the league with just six goals conceded. The last defeat for the Berliners was almost half a year ago — a 3-1 loss at Darmstadt on matchday 32 of the previous campaign.
Sunday's game against Heidenheim is the final league game before the next international break. The Union head coach is demanding absolute commitment in order to end this chunk of the season on a serious high note. "We have to be ready from the first whistle, even if it's a home game," he explained at the pre-match press conference. "Heidenheim will make it hard going for us and it'll take a really good performance to keep the points here."
The visitors, coached by Frank Schmidt, picked up six points during the "Englische Woche" and beat VfL Bochum 3-2 at home. Heidenheim have 11 points so far ahead of the trip to the Alte Försterei.
Record: Heidenheim a hard nut to crack
Up until matchday 31 of last season, draws were hard to come by in this future. In April 2018, the two sides shared the points for the first time in a 1-1 draw. Schmidt's team does have a positive record against Union with six wins, three defeats and the aforementioned draw. Union have been waiting for a win against Heidenheim for four games — the longest series against a single club in the 2.Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Heidenheim have only managed one win in Köpenick.
Personnel: Latest on Mees, Abdullahi, Moser
Fischer confirmed at the pre-match press conference that Joshua Mees and Suleiman Abdullahi made good progress following their appearances in the Baltic Sea Cup win over Halmstads. Goalkeeper Lennart Moser is back in contention for a place in the squad after a full recovery from injury. Marc Torrejon is making excellent progress but will need some more time before making his return. Sebastian Polter's recovery continues with "every minute, every session" benefiting the striker's fitness.
Game information: Tickets still on sale
There are still a handful of tickets available for normal standing places or in the main stand. More are available in the away section.
Due to the ongoing renovation work, there will be some changes to the normal stadium layout. Further information points are available on site.
