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The Situation

For the Franconians, this is already the last trial run before the league starts in a week against Braunschweig. The preparation of the Spielvereinigung is therefore well advanced: The Kleeblatt has already played six Friendlies – most recently, they parted ways in a double test against Waldhof Mannheim (4-1) and Huddersfield Town (0-1) with mixed success.

It is also not the first tough test of the summer for Union. Last weekend, Union faced Linzer ASK (2-0) and Rapid Wien (1-1) in Austria before the team moved into their training camp at the adidas Home Ground in Herzogenaurach on Wednesday.

Two soccer players in red jerseys are practicing with a ball during training on the field. Spectators are visible in the background.

Thanks to a strong second half of the season 2021 and a spectacular final sprint on the last matchday – despite being a player down, they secured a 3-2 home victory against Düsseldorf – "Kleeblatt" secured direct promotion as the second-placed team and was part of the German top flight for the second time. Particularly impressive: Fürth was the best away team in the league and remained unbeaten in competitive matches away from home throughout the entire calendar year 2020.

Since their direct relegation, the Fürther have been active again in the second highest division in Germany and reflect on a turbulent past season 2024/25. After a decent start, the team came dangerously close to the relegation spots in the course of the season. The clear derby defeat against 1. FC Nürnberg (0-4) was the last straw – coach Alexander Zorniger and sporting director Rachid Azzouzi had to vacate their positions. Under interim coach Leonhard Haas, the turnaround was ultimately achieved: A 3-2 victory against already promoted Hamburger SV on the last home matchday secured their place in the second division.

With Thomas Kleine as the new head coach and a changed team, the focus is now again on the future. At the end of June, preparation began for the Fürth and they showed themselves hungry for goals – including a 13-1 win against 1. FC Herzogenaurach and a 6-2 against SpVgg Ansbach. Against Halleschen FC, however, the team then suffered a 1-2 defeat, but showed a reaction in the next friendly against Waldhof Mannheim and won convincingly 4-1. Just a few hours later, another friendly followed on the same day against Huddersfield Town – this time with a worse outcome for the Franconians: Fürth narrowly lost 0-1 against the English second division side.

Statistically speaking, Fürth is a welcomed opponent of the Eisernen: In a total of 27 competitive matches, the Berliners emerged victorious eleven times, Fürth won five matches. Eleven encounters ended in a draw. The last meeting at the Sportpark Ronhof was almost four years ago – in December 2021, the Kleeblatt won 1-0.

The coaching team of Union has to forgo the fifth Friendly of the preparation against Aljoscha Kemlein, Livan Burcu, Oluwaseun Ogbemudia, David Preu and new signing Stanley Nsoki.

“We expect an opponent who is very well prepared. After all, this is the last Friendly for Fürth before the league starts. Their game will likely be very fast-paced. We have to ensure that we continue to work on our processes and generally on what defines us. It’s a tough Friendly, but we will give everything to make it a successful match,” said head coach Steffen Baumgart ahead of the match.

For the away game, around 600 Union fans are expected. Remaining tickets for the away block can be purchased by Union fans at the box office on the day of the match. The Union mobile fan shop will also be on site. Information regarding the stadium visit can be found here.