Union take on Holstein Kiel

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19 October 2024, 12:15 yayınlandı

After the Bundesliga’s break last weekend, 1. FC Union’s men’s team will play away at Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein. Kick off in the 7th match day of the 2024/25 season on Sunday, 20 October 2024, is at 15:30.

The lie of the land

With the 2-2 draw against Bayer 04 Leverkusen last time out, Kiel became the first bottom of the table side to score against the reigning champions since September 2014. In the five preceding matches, KSV picked up a point in Bochum but lost to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, VfL Wolfsburg and SG Eintracht Frankfurt.

Union, meanwhile, are riding high ahead of their trip north, coming off the back of their 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Alte Försterei, their fourth consecutive home win across both seasons. However, Union have not won away from home in the last eight games, most recently losing 1-0 to Borussia Mönchengladbach with almost the last kick of the game.

The opposition

Until the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, Kiel were a constant in the German top flight, finding their way back for the first time since when they were promoted from the 2. Liga this summer.
The storks finished just one point behind the second division champions, FC St. Pauli, with their strength lying mainly away from home, losing only two of 17 matches on the road. In their own stadium, they suffered six losses.

This season, KSV are currently sitting second bottom. Although they have scored nine goals so far, their 19 goals conceded make them the most vulnerable team in the league defensively. Despite this, the team haven’t lacked commitment as shown by their 1459 sprints and 4514 intensive runs – in both stats they are league leaders. 1. FC Union Berlin, on the other hand, cover more kilometres overall, which suggests that this will be somewhat of a long-distance race.

The game will be played at the historic Holstein-Stadion in Kiel. Opened in 1911, the stadium is not only the oldest in Schleswig-Holstein, but also one of the oldest in Germany. With room for 15,034 spectators, it is the second smallest stadium in the Bundesliga after the Voith Arena in Heidenheim, but it exudes the charm of a classic football arena.

The personnel

Union’s head coach Bo Svensson will still have to do without Josip Juranović, Yannic Stein and Lucas Tousart for the trip.

The reunions

The game in Kiel marks a return to an old stomping ground for Union players Tom Rothe and László Bénes. Left-back Rothe was loaned from Borussia Dortmund last season and celebrated the club’s promotion, while Bénes played was on loan there from Borussia Mönchengladbach for six months during the second half of the 2019 season and impressed with eight assists in 16 appearances.

There are also familiar faces on the opposite side. Tymoteusz Puchacz, who made ten appearances for Union, and the Berlin born Steven Skrzybski, who passed through all Union’s youth sides and played 143 first-team games for the club. The now 31-year-old has been playing in Kiel since 2021.

The coaches’ views ahead of the game

“It’s always tough to start an away game after an international break,” said Union’s head coach, Svensson, during Friday’s press conference. “Kiel went into the break with a sense of achievement after the game in Leverkusen. It’s going to be a difficult task. Our games have all been close, no matter who the opponent was. We have to bring our principles onto the pitch and take Kiel very seriously.”

Meanwhile, his opposite number, Marcel Rapp, had this to say of Sunday’s encounter. “Against Union, you have to outplay your opponent twice, because a player always comes in to support and spaces are consistently closed. We fought for an hour against Leverkusen and played really well against Silkeborg. We need this mixture at the weekend.”
Service information

Around 1,800 Union fans will travel to the north of Germany for the away game in Schleswig-Holstein. The Union mobile Zeughaus will also be there. Information on visiting the stadium can be found here (German).

The game will be broadcast live by DAZN. In addition, there is an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and on rbb24. As usual, Union will also provide information about the game on the club’s own live ticker, as well as in English and Spanish on twitter.