On Saturday, 1. FC Union Berlin’s men’s team will face league leaders FC Bayern München in the Bundesliga’s 9th match day. Kick off at the Allianz Arena is at 15:30
The lie of the land
The record champions from Munich impressed in the Bundesliga most recently with a 5-0 win at VfL Bochum, a game in which the young German international Jamal Musiala particularly shone. And while Union were playing in Bielefeld, Bayern won 4-0 against 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the DFB pokal. Musiala, in the form of his life, scored a hat-trick.
In the league, Union are coming off the back of the 1-1 draw with SG Eintracht Frankfurt. Mario Götze gave the visitors an early lead, before Benedict Hollerbach equalised. However, a late goal from Tim Skarke was disallowed for the narrowest of offsides, leaving Union having to settle for a point. In the cup, things went even more bitterly. Bo Svensson’s team were knocked out of the competition, losing 2-0 to Arminia Bielefeld.
The Opponents
After the first season without a title in 11 years, FC Bayern agreed to terminate the contract with head coach Thomas Tuchel, who is now coaching the English national team. Bayern found a successor in Vincent Kompany, who was previously the head coach at Burnley and was responsible for both the club’s promotion to, and subsequent relegation from the Premier League.
The former centre-back is familiar with the Bundesliga from his time at Hamburger SV (2006-2008). Under Kompany, Bayern have recorded eight wins, two draws and two defeats in their first twelve competitive games. He remains unbeaten in the Bundesliga and, with 20 points, sees his side level on points with RB Leipzig at the top of the table thanks to their superior goal difference.
With 29 goals after eight Bundesliga games, Bayern are level with the Bundesliga record and proving that their attack is once again in top form. A large part of this can be attributed to striker Harry Kane, who won the ‘Trophée Gerd Müller’ in 2024 and has already contributed nine goals and six assists so far this season. Summer signing Michael Olise, who joined from Crystal Palace for €50 million and has already scored seven goals, has also been another successful import from the island.
Despite their hunger for goals, Kompany’s team have been beaten twice in the UEFA Champions League. At Aston Villa, the Bavarian offensive was unable to overcome the English side’s defensive bulwark and lost 1-0. A week and a half ago, FC Barcelona tested them to their limits, running out 4-1 winners.
The head-to-head
In ten competitive games played with the record champions, 1. FC Union Berlin have three draws, but lost seven times. The teams have already met twice this calendar year, as the first game last season was postponed until January due to heavy snowfall. In Munich, the Berliners narrowly lost 0-1, but in the return game at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei, they lost 5-1.
The personnel
Union’s head coach Bo Svensson will continue to be without Lucas Tousart, Josip Juranovic and Yannic Stein at the league leaders.
A reunion
Benedict Hollerbach was trained by the record champions, where he played a total of 45 games in the youth teams, from the U17s to the U19s.
The coaches’ views ahead of the game
“We know that we have to give our all,” said an otherwise optimistic Union head coach, Bo Svensson, during his press conference on Friday morning. “Of course, we are aware that Bayern pose one of the biggest challenges in the league. When an opponent has such quality, a lot has to go right for you to win such a game. We want to give it our all.”
Meanwhile, his opposite number, Kompany, had this to say: “So far, they’ve been doing very well and are up there with the leaders. We’re not underestimating them at all. As always, a lot is riding on us. We’re playing at home. Of the last 13 games, we’ve played nine away. It’s a game at the Allianz Arena, finally a home game again. Hopefully our strengths will make the difference tomorrow. We know they’re good defensively and on the counterattack. They communicate well and know exactly what they have to do.”
Service information
The players of the Irons can look forward to the support of a good 5,200 Union fans who are travelling to the Bavarian capital. The Union fan vehicle will also be there. Information on visiting the stadium can be found here (German).
The game will be broadcast live on Sky. There will also be an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and on rbb24. As usual, Union will also provide updates on the game via the club’s live ticker, as well as in English and Spanish on twitter.