Union Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach will both go in search of their first league victory of the season when they meet on Sunday.
The two sides are winless after the first two matches, with the hosts on two points and the visitors on one.
Match preview
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Despite last season being only their second ever in the top flight, Union Berlin finished seventh and qualified for European football for the first time in 20 years.
On Thursday night they drew 0-0 with Finnish side KuPS in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff second leg, meaning they progressed to the group stage 4-0 on aggregate.
Attentions will now turn back to the Bundesliga, where they have drawn their opening two fixtures – 1-1 against Bayer Leverkusen and 2-2 against Hoffenheim – despite taking the lead in both games.
Urs Fischer's side have a superb home record; they are unbeaten at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in their last 17 league matches, last losing there on the opening day of last season.
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Borussia Monchengladbach finished one point behind Union Berlin in 2020-21, and both games between the two sides finished 1-1, so expect Sunday's game to be a close affair.
An eighth-place finish was Monchengladbach's lowest placing since 2018, and there was a change of manager in the summer as Frankfurt boss Adi Hutter was appointed following Marco Rose's departure to Borussia Dortmund.
Hutter was given a baptism of fire by facing Bayern Munich on the opening day, but led Die Fohlen to a 1-1 draw against the reigning champions.
However the result did not give them a platform to build on as they were thrashed 4-0 by Bayer Leverkusen last weekend.
It is certainly fair to expect goals in Monchengladbach games – last season they scored the fourth-most in the Bundesliga (64) but also conceded the fourth-most (56).
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Team News
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Marvin Friedrich was sent off against Hoffenheim so is suspended for Sunday's game, with summer arrival Timo Baumgartl expected to replace him in Union Berlin's back three.
Bayern Munich loanee Leon Dajaku is moving closer to fitness following an appendix operation, but is not likely to feature until after the international break.
Taiwo Awoniyi, who completed a permanent move from Liverpool in the summer, has made a strong start to the season with four goals in five appearances.
Borussia Monchengladbach's defeat to Bayer Leverkusen was made worse by injuries to Stefan Lainer and Marcus Thuram, with the latter set to be out for several weeks after suffering a ligament tear in his right knee.
It is a further blow to the team's attacking options, as Breel Embolo is already sidelined with a thigh injury. Meanwhile, defender Matthias Ginter has tested positive for COVID-19.
In better news for the visitors, Alassane Plea should be fit to play after going off with a knock last weekend.
Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Luthe; Baumgartl, Knoche, Jaeckel; Trimmel, Haraguchi, Khedira, Giesselmann; Ingvartsen; Kruse, Awoniyi
Borussia Monchengladbach possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Scally, Elvedi, Jantschke, Bensebaini; Kramer, Neuhaus; Hofmann, Stindl, Wolf; Plea
We say: Union Berlin 0-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
Union Berlin's Europa Conference League game on Thursday means they have had less preparation and rest time for this fixture, while Monchengladbach may struggle for goals with Thuram and Embolo both out. This could all mean that a fairly flat affair awaits; we are going for a goalless draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Union Berlin win with a probability of 39.03%. A win for Borussia Monchengladbach had a probability of 35.1% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Union Berlin win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.44%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.51%) and 2-0 (6.54%). The likeliest Borussia Monchengladbach win was 0-1 (8.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.28%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Union Berlin would win this match.
