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On Friday evening, 1. FC Union Berlin’s men’s team will play their first home game of the current Bundesliga season against newly promoted FC St. Pauli. Kick off under the floodlights at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 20:30.
The lie of the land
St. Pauli suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Millerntor against 1. FC Heidenheim in the season opener under the direction of their new coach Alexander Blessin. In an initially evenly matched game, the Hamburg side looked increasingly in control but were unable to capitalise on their chances. Heidenheim, on the other hand, used their few opportunities and took three points in the end.
Union meanwhile returned from their league opener in Mainz with a hard-fought point in boiling temperatures. After Nadiem Amiri had given Mainz the lead with a direct free-kick, new signing László Bénes equalised a few minutes after coming on to make the final score 1-1.
The opponents
The Kiezkicker have had a chequered history in the Bundesliga. After their first promotion to the top flight in 1977, the club struggled with financial and sporting difficulties, but at least managed to win the first Hamburg derby in the Bundesliga against HSV. In 1988 they began a three-year stay in the Bundesliga, followed by promotions in 1995 and 2001. They were relegated on both occasions but could still look back on memorable moments such as the Weltpokalsiegerbesieger victory against FC Bayern München, that saw the first goal in a 2-1 win over the European Champions scored by future Union player, Nico Patschinski. Pauli’s most recent promotion in 2010 also ended with relegation; their last Bundesliga game up til now was a 2-1 loss away at Mainz on 14 May 2011.
The Hanseatic club were promoted back to the Bundesliga for the sixth time last season, securing their ascent to the top flight with a 3-1 victory against the already relegated VfL Osnabrück on the penultimate matchday 2. Liga season. Their confirmation as champions followed the next week.
With four wins from five games, St. Pauli concluded a successful pre-season summer that saw them only lose the once, at home to Greuther Fürth, while they beat Olympique Lyonnais 1-0, Norwich City 3-1 and Atalanta 3-0. They also won their first competitive match of the summer against Hallescher FC in the DFB Pokal, 3-2 after extra time.
The head to head
The two sides have already met 27 times, twelve of which have been won by Union. There have been six draws, while Friday’s guests won nine. This is their first ever gane in the top flight.
The personnel
Union head coach Bo Svensson will again be without Kevin Volland and the injured Josip Juranović and Yannic Stein, as well as Ivan Prtajin.
The reunions
Aljoscha Kemlein will be reunited on Friday evening with a number of recent team-mates. The U-20 international was loaned out to the second-division champions for the second half of last season and made 18 appearances for FC St. Pauli. The midfielder contributed two assists in the promotion year.
Young talent Oluwaseun Ogbemudia also passed through various St. Pauli youth departments from 2020 to 2023. The young centre-back joined Union’s U19s last summer and recently signed a professional contract with the club.
The coaches’ views ahead of the game
“We are looking forward to the first match at home with great anticipation,” said Union head coach, Bo Svensson, during his press conference on Wednesday afternoon. “We can expect a close game against a team that had an outstanding last season and were confidently promoted to the Bundesliga. St Pauli are a well-coordinated team with a clear profile. We definitely need the strength of our fans at the An der Alten Försterei stadium.’
‘It will be a hard-fought game,” said his opposite number, Alexander Blessin. “Union will look for the balls in the centre and will be strong at the back with their defensive block. We’ll have to push ourselves to the limit and hope for luck on goal.’
Service information
As usual, the Stadion An der Alten Försterei will open two hours before kick-off. The match is sold out in both the home and away sections.
The match will be broadcast live by DAZN. There will also be an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and rbb24. As usual, Union will also provide information about the match in the club’s own live ticker, as well as in English and Spanish on Twitter.
