Union Berlin are back in 2.Bundesliga action this weekend with a trip to Heidenheim on the horizon for Jens Keller’s side. During the international break, Union hosted AC Horsens at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei and drew 1-1 with the Danish outfit.

A win at the Voith-Arena on Saturday (13:00) will bring Union in touch with Fortuna Düsseldorf and Holstein Kiel at the top of the league. “We want to go there and win this game. We have the quality to do this when we play at our best,” said Keller. “We have played the last six games very well – we’ve got nothing to fear.”

Heidenheim’s form has stabilised since the beginning of the season with Frank Schmidt’s men digging out impressive performances recently against Fortuna Düsseldorf (2-2) and at home to 1.FC Nürnberg (1-0). Those results ended a three-game streak of defeats, but it hasn’t been able to lift Heidenheim out of relegation difficulty.

A key route to goal in Heidenheim could be Union’s strength at set-piece situations. Keller’s side have already scored seven headed goals – the highest in the division. However, the Berliners will need to do without suspended Christopher Trimmel, who has assisted the most goals for the club from Köpenick this season. For Sunday, Keller is also without Atsuto Uchida, Michael Parensen, Fabian Schönheim and Kenny Prince Redondo.

From the six league encounters, Heidenheim and Union share three victories each. Schmidt’s team did come out on top in the DFB Pokal clash in 2015. However, Keller isn’t focused on previous meetings between the two: “The statistics don’t speak for us and we move on now,” he said.

More than 1,000 Union supporters are expected to travel to the Voith-Arena in Heidenheim – over 600km to the south. Tickets for the match are still available for the home and away sections of the stadium.