A couple of days after night before: Coming almost immediately on the heels of Thursday night's loss in the Europa League to SC Braga, 1. FC Union Berlin play host to VfL Wolfsburg tomorrow, Sunday, for their fourth home match of the season. Kick-off is at 15:30.

It is a somewhat unusual position for the Eisernen to start from: league leaders after the win away against Köln, the hunters have become the hunted.

But Union have to put a long trip back from Portugal behind them, one that ended with a delayed arrival at the Alte Försterei. Ultimately, for the players who played against Braga, it meant having to focus on recuperation.

The Opposition

Along with Leverkusen (17th), VfL are once again among the clubs of which much more was expected this year. Indeed, Wolfsburg's mixed pre-season so far seems to have carried over into the season proper. With just five points from six games, the Wolves find themselves in the relegation zone. They have been especially lacking up front, ahead of only Bochum and Augsburg, Wolfsburg have the third-worst goalscoring record in the Bundesliga, with only five goals.

When planning the squad, those responsible in Wolfsburg focused particularly on the midfield. Bartol Franjic and Mattias Svanberg were brought in to bolster the midfield, while Jakub Kaminski and Patrik Wimmer were brought in to strengthen the flanks. The new arrivals also served to lower the average age of the squad. None of the four newcomers is older than 23.

Meanwhile new head coach Niko Kovac is still looking for his system of choice. In the Bundesliga he has played a 4-2-3-1 three times. But the 50-year-old has also proved eager to experiment, sometimes forming a classic 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, but Kovac was also not afraid of playing a back-three, with wing-backs and two up front.

The Reunion

One name immediately springs to mind when Union play Wolfsburg. Union's Robin Knoche spent 15 years at VfL, progressing from ball boy to professional there, finally winning the DFB-Pokal with them in 2015.

Union's Paul Jaeckel and Paul Seguin can also look back on a Wolfsburg past. Finally, ex-Unioner Max Kruse still has a contract with VfL, but no longer plays a role in Kovac's plans.

The Personnel

Morton Thorsby and Danilho Doekhi have both returned to the squad, meaning, apart from Kevin Mohwald, who has taken a knock, the entire squad will be available to head coach Urs Fischer ahead of the game.

The Coaches' Views Ahead of the Match

"In the last game, Wolfsburg changed their style. They were more compact than before and have a clearer idea of how they want to play. Of course, we haven't had much time to prepare, but I'm sure the players are well prepared and ready," said Urs Fischer on Saturday in his press conference. "We've put the game from Tursday behind us, and are in good spirits and looking forward to the 90 minutes against Wolfsburg."

"To be in the rhythm of playing a game every three days isn't easy," said Wolfsburg head coach Niko Kovac. "I watched their game in Braga, and the intensity they play with is incredible. 90 minutes, up and down, they are there for every challenge. And whoever is first after six games is diefinitely doing something right."

Service information: Secondary ticket market open

The stadium opens its gates at 13:30. There are no more tickets available in the home sectors. Union members, however, have one last chance to buy tickets on the ticket re-sale market.

The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As usual, Union will also provide information on the match in the club's own live ticker, as well as offering updates in English on Twitter.