Sunday evening's clash at the Weser Stadium will be closely followed in the Sane household: for the first time in the Bundesliga, brothers Lamine and Salif Sane will face off when struggling Werder Bremen welcome high-flying Hannover 96.
Both were born in France, both are central defenders standing at over six feet tall and - needless to say - both share a certain brotherly love. That said, any fond fraternal feelings will be put aside for 90 minutes on Sunday when their sides face off in a match that could have ramifications at both ends of the top-flight standings.
Lamine Sane: fighting for survival
At 30 years of age and standing six feet three inches tall, Lamine is at once both older and smaller than Salif. His Bremen side also find themselves in a much more precarious league position - 17th - than Salif's Hannover, sitting pretty in sixth. Indeed, Bremen are yet to win a game this season and require a pre-Christmas pick-me-up in the form of several three-point returns if they intend to remain clear of the relegation battle into the new year.
For his part, Sane the elder has been a regular starter for Bremen since his arrival at the Weser Stadium from Bordeaux - where he had spent seven years - in summer 2016, and even though a flu has laid him low him recently, his coach Florian Kohfeldt said that there’s a "good chance" he will start against Hannover on Matchday 12.