On Sunday, 28.04.2024, 1. FC Union Berlin will face Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 31st matchday of the Bundesliga season. Kick off in Borussia Park is at 15:30.
The lie of the land
In a thrilling match last Saturday, coach Gerardo Seoane’s team lost 4-3 to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. After trailing twice, through Robin Hack’s hattrick, Borussia equalised in the 89th minute to make it 3-3. However, Anton Stach scored the winner for the hosts just one minute later to seal the win for the guests.
That same evening, Union welcomed record champions Bayern München to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei and were beaten 5-1.
The opponents
Gladbach are currently twelfth in the table, on 31 points from seven wins, ten draws and 13 defeats.
Statistically speaking, Franck Honorat is the Foals’ top attacking player so far this season, with the Frenchman excelling primarily as a provider. He has set up his teammates eleven times in the league and scored three times himself. One of his greatest beneficiaries is the home grown Rocco Reitz, who is also having a strong season with six goals and two further assists while Gladbach’s top scorer is Robin Hack with eight goals.
In the DFB Pokal, the team from the Lower Rhine made it as far as the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 2-1 with a 93rd minute winner, by the underdogs and the cup’s surprise team, Saarbrücken.
The reunions
For Marvin Friedrich, the match means a reunion with his former club. The 28 year old defender made 141 appearances for Union across both the 2. Liga and Bundesliga.
Striker Jordan Siebatcheu will face his former and actual employer. Since his loan to Gladbach in the summer, he has scored five times in 22 games. However, the American-born striker is currently sidelined due to a muscle injury.
The head to head
The last time the sides met, back in December, Union came out 3-1 winners at the Alte Försterei with goals from Kevin Volland, Benedict Hollerbach and Mikkel Kaufmann. Alassane Plea scored the Foals’ only goal.
Union’s record against Sunday’s opponents makes for optimistic reading, having won six of their nine matches played. There have been two draws, while one game went the way of Gladbach.
The personnel
Head coach Nenad Bjelica will be without Jakob Busk and Jérôme Roussillon due to injury.
The coaches’ views ahead of the game
“Gladbach have very good attackers and like to play offensively,” said Union’s head coach, Nenad Bjelica, ahead of Sunday’s clash. “But even though they have almost twice as many goals as us, they are only two points ahead of us in the table. If we can get back to our defensive stability, we have a good chance of winning. Even after the game, we still have everything in our own hands. That also helps the lads, because they can travel to Gladbach with a certain amount of ease despite the difficult situation. We have to find a mixture of tension and relaxation there. If you’re too tense, you block up and can’t give your best performance.”
His opposite number, Seoane, also sees a tough day ahead. “After their bad start, Union have fought their way back. They are a very physical team that are very aggressive on the second balls and play with purpose. They have different player profiles in the team. They are a very unpleasant opponent.”
Service information
Union can look forward to playing in front of almost 2,800 travelling Union fans. All the relevant information about visiting the stadium can be found here (German).
The match will be broadcast live on DAZN 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 offering updates in English and Spanish on Twitter.