On Saturday, 22 July, 1. FC Union Berlin will host Holstein Kiel in their fourth pre-season friendly of the 2023-24 season. Kick off at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 15:00. Instead of the usual 45-minute halves the match will consist of 30-minute quarters.
The lie of the land
The friendly will be Union’s fourth of a busy July, following victories over FSV Luckenwalde and SK Rapid in addition to the loss in Hungary against Zalaegerszegi TE FC. However, this will only signify the end of coach Urs Fischer and Union’s first wave of pre-season preparation. On Monday the team will travel to summer training camp in Bramber am Wildvogel, Austria. The training camp is sponsored by Sonnenschutz.de, and the team will be playing two more friendlies during their time there.
The opponents
Following the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 Kiel has bounced between the second, third, and fourth divison, and in 2017 regained a spot in the 2. Bundesliga after placing second in the Fußball-Liga. Kiel is not an unknown opponent for Union, as they used to play together in the second and third division. Since 2004 they have faced off eight times in league play, with the result being four wins for Union, two wins for Kiel, and two draws.
During their time in the third and fourth division Kiel won the Landespokal Schleswig-Holstein 13 times, which granted them automatic entry into the DFB-Pokal. One of their most recent iconic performances came against FC Bayern München in the second round of the 2020-2021 DFB Pokal, when the second division side shocked the German giants in a riveting match ending with a penalty shootout. Kiel then managed to reach the semi-finals of the tournament before being knocked out by eventual champions Borussia Dortmund.
Since 2017/18 they have been a constant presence in the 2. Liga, rising as high as 3rd in 2020/21 under Ole Werner where they lost to 1. FC Köln in the play-off that would have granted them entry to the Bundesliga. Current coach Marcel Rapp took over from Werner in October 2021, leading the side to consecutive top half finishes.
A familiar face
Saturday also marks the return of forward Steven Skrzybski, a player many fans will remember with fondness due to his long stretch at Union between 2001 and 2018. He began with Union as a youngster, working his way up through the youth academy before eventually starting on the first team. In Steven’s 143 official games for Union, he scored 30 goals and assisted 18 times. His final two seasons for the Eisernen are his best, netting nine in the 2016-17 season and 14 the following year. After leaving Union Steven spent three years with FC Shalke 04, was loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf, and then joined Kiel in 2021 where he remains today. This will be Steven’s second return to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, his first coming with Fortuna during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Service information
The gates will open at 13:30, and tickets will be available at the stadium. Seating is already sold out, and standing tickets are available in advance at a price of 8 euros. Children up to the age of 12 can enter for free, but they require a ticket.** The game will be streamed live on AFTV as well as on their Youtube channel. As usual Union will post updates on their Liveticker, as well as in Spanish on Twitter.
*There is an advance booking fee of 3 euros.
** Max. 2 free tickets can be booked per full-payer.