On Saturday at 18:30, 1. FC Union Berlin host city neighbours Hertha for the third Bundesliga derby at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
Review — The last match:
The results in Stuttgart and Köln will have left 1. FC Union Berlin coach Urs Fischer frustrated given the late goals conceded. Union are in eighth — two points off Leverkusen in sixth — but remain comfortably on track to achieve another strong ranking in Germany’s top division. Union concluded the last streak of matches with a 2-2 draw at 1. FC Köln late on Sunday evening. Anthony Modeste’s scoring form continued as he opened the scoring for Steffen Baumgart’s men in the seventh minute. That goal was cancelled out by an impressive solo-run from Julian Ryerson, the Norwegian slotting gracefully past Timo Horn. Genki Haraguchi set up Grischa Prömel before the break, while Taiwo Awoniyi passed up a glorious chance for 3-1. As Köln piled on the pressure in front of their home supporters, Florian Kainz’s corner kick was met by Modeste to bag the home team a share of the points.
Hertha — Opposition Report:
The Old Lady have won two of their previous five Bundesliga matches before the pause in action. Victories at Eintracht Frankfurt and in Berlin against Borussia Mönchengladbach have taken Pal Dardai’s men away from the Bundesliga trap door — Hertha are 13th with a four-point cushion to Augsburg in the play-off position. A 1-1 draw at home to Leverkusen rounded off the Bundesliga action for the Berliners before the internationals. Hertha’s threat has been spread around the team this season when things have clicked. The 21-year-old Dutchman Jurgen Ekkelenkamp has made an impact since arriving from Ajax with two goals in the league — he is level at the top of the scoring charts next to Stevan Jovetic, Marco Richter and Suat Serdar. A trip to Köpenick is the start of an important period for Hertha and Dardai with a run of games against teams underneath them in the table. Up until Christmas, Hertha will play Augsburg, Stuttgart, Bielefeld and Mainz. The final match of 2021 for Hertha sees them host Borussia Dortmund at the Olympic Stadium.
Hertha — The coach’s view:
Urs Fischer: “When you look at the last three or four games, Hertha are very compact and have good organisation. They are dangerous after winning it back, quick in transitions. It could be a game of small margins …. In the end, it’s a tough game. Hertha are playing very well. We need to take care of the challenge. We have to show our face on the pitch, that’s a pre-requisite. The game starts at zero. We need a good performance to have a chance.”
Personnel:
Union are without Kevin Behrens who returned a positive test during the international break. The striker is now in home quarantine. Paul Jaeckel has picked up an illness and is missing for the weekend. Urs Fischer confirmed that all players returned from the national team matches in good health.
Service:
Information for all supporters attending can be found here.
The match will take place under 2G rules — the full health and safety regulations are here.
Information on control bands and fast access can be found here.
The club’s official secondary ticket market is open here.