On Saturday, 30.03.2024, 1. FC Union Berlin will travel to play Eintracht Frankfurt as part of the Bundesliga’s 27th matchday. Kick off at the Deutsche Bank Park stadium is at 15:30.
The lie of the land
Despite Mario Götze’s opener, Eintracht went into the international break on the back of a disappointing 3-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund, while Union were celebrating the 2-1 win at home over Werder Bremen that lifted them up to 13th in the table.
The opponents
On 40 points, SGE are currently sixth in the Bundesliga, with 10 wins, 10 draws and six losses from their 26 games played so far. Their place in the table is mirrored by that of the league’s best defences, they are also in sixth with 35 goals currently conceded. They’ve scored 42 goals so far, ten of which have come from their recent signing Omar Marmoush, who also has six assists in his 21 games.
Frankfurt’s successes are largely based on their well-known strength at home, having not lost there since November’s defeat to Stuttgart, and that was the first this season, a run that included the 5-1 demolition of FC Bayern. Before the defeat in Dortmund they were on an undefested run of five games.
Head coach Dino Toppmöller’s team were knocked out of the UEFA Europa Conference League by a side well known to Union, Belgium’s Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, while they lost in the DFB Pokal to the underdogs, Saarbrücken.
The reunion
Union keeper Frederik Rönnow was under contract at Eintracht between 2018 and 2021, playing a total of 21 competitive matches.
The head to head
The two sides have met 17 times to date, nine in the Bundesliga, six in the 2. Liga and two in the Cup. Of these, Union have only won three, with 10 losses and four draws. Eintracht won the last encounter 3-0.
The personnel
Head coach Nenad Bjelica will be without András Schäfer due to suspension, while Janik Haberer and Jakob Busk are also missing through injury.
The coaches’ views ahead of the game
“Frankfurt have presented shown themselves well so far this season,” said Union’s head coach Bjelica during his press conference on Thursday afternoon. “They have delivered good results both in the Bundesliga and in Europe. They are very unpleasant to play against in their stadium and in front of their fans. Nevertheless, we are expecting something and want to build on our performance against Bremen.”
His opposite number, Dino Toppmöller, meanwhile, was cautious in his estimation of Saturday’s guests. “Union had a series of unfortunate defeats in the first half of the season and fell short of their own potential. They have stabilised under the new coach. The style of play is still similar though, physical, lots of crosses, good on the break. “
Service information
Around 2,500 Union fans will be there in Frankfurt and all the information needed on visiting the stadium, as well as a letter from the Frankfurt police can be found here (German).
The match will be broadcast live on Sky and there will also be an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and rbb24. As usual, Union will also provide information about the match via the club’s own live ticker, as well as giving updates in English and Spanish on Twitter.