Darmstadt, freshly relegated from the Bundesliga, are the visitors to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Friday evening, hoping to win for the first time since September 17. Union Berlin are coming off the back of a defeat in Heidenheim, which ended a five-game winning run for Jens Keller’s men.

Little has changed, however: Union are still at the top-end of the league table, third, and just a few points off Fortuna Düsseldorf and Holstein Kiel. There is competition from 1.FC Nürnberg, Ingolstadt and Arminia Bielefeld, so every point counts for the Köpenick club.

“It’s crucial that we perform to our best,” said Keller pre-match. “We are very strong at home and want to continue to improve our record. We don’t look at what our opposition is doing. We look at our qualities, concentrate on preparing ourselves and then make sure we decide the game for ourselves.”

It’s not quite a clean bill of health for Keller’s squad, but the concerns are beginning to ease. Christopher Trimmel is back after suspension, while Simon Hedlund has shaken off the flu and Atusto Uchida has recovered from long-term issues. However, Kenny Prince Redondo, Michael Parensen and Fabian Schönheim are still out. It’s a similar situation for Darmstadt, who won’t need to make any wholesale changes as a result to injures. Only Felix Platte, Peter Niemeyer and goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandez are unavailable for Frings.

With Hedlund back, Keller does have a headache in forward positions. Steven Skrzybski’s two goals in Heidenheim will likely put him at the top of the list, but there is stiff competition from Marcel Hartel, Akaki Gogia and Hedlund. That said, Keller sees himself in an encouraging position with so many options: "I am glad that we have to make the decision between the three players. Maybe we'll get all three of them, no one knows for sure. It's always a nice option," he said.

Tickets are still available via the club’s Secondary Ticket Market, but won’t be for sale at the stadium box offices on matchday. The gates open at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei around 90 minutes before kick-off on Friday.