The lie of the land

These are the first games of the new football year not only for the guests, but also for their hosts from the Brandenburgliga. BSC Süd 05 are currently preparing for their fourth season in Germany's sixth-highest division. Since relegation from the Oberliga in 2022, the club have finished 13th, 9th and most recently 10th.

Ahrensfelde, on the other hand, can look back on a brief but historic interlude in the Oberliga. In 2024, they were promoted to the fifth-highest league for the first time in their history, but after only one year and a 15^th place finish, were relegated back to the Brandenburgliga. The immediate goal is now to be promoted again.

The opponents

Brandenburger SC Süd 05 were founded in 1905 from the merger of two clubs and were one of the most successful clubs in the region during the interwar period. After the Second World War, they played under various names (including spells in the DDR-Liga, East Germany’s second division). Since reunification, the club have been playing under their traditional name again. Süd 05 have a reputation as a producer of young talen, and well-known players such as Steffen Freund, Elvis Rexhbeçaj and Lutz Eigendorf once wore the Brandenburg jersey. The club have already presented five new signings for the start of the new season. The match against Union is also part of the celebrations for the club's 120th anniversary.

SV Grün-Weiss Ahrensfelde also look back on an eventful history. Founded in 1908 as a gymnastics club, they expanded over the decades to become a multi-sport club. The football department had to be dissolved in 1969 and re-founded in 1985. The 2020s saw an upturn in sporting fortunes as, in 2024, they were promoted to the Oberliga for the first time. Having being relegated straight back down, the aim is to re-build upon this successful phase in the new season.

The reunions

Grün-Weiss Ahrensfelde currently have a former Union professional in their ranks in the form of Bundesliga promotion hero Manuel Schmiedebach. The 36-year-old is a player-coach who played 42 competitive matches for Union between 2018 and 2020.

Two other former Union professionals also moved to Brandenburg at the end of their playing careers:

Guido Spork, who played at Union from 2006 to 2008 and won the Berlin Cup, among other things, later also played for BSC Süd 05.

Jan Glinker, 3-Liga winning goalkeeper for Union with 236 competitive games, ended his career three years ago at Grün-Weiss Ahrensfelde.

The head to head

The match against Ahrensfelde is a first for Union – the two clubs have never faced each other before. The situation is different for BSC Süd 05. Union played their predecessor club BSG Motor Süd Brandenburg five times, winning four of those encounters. Their only defeat came in 1966 (0-1).

The personnel

Union head coach Steffen Baumgart has almost a full squad to choose from for the two friendlies. Only Wooyeong Jeong has not yet joined the team while Aljoscha Kemlein will not be able to play. Support will come from the youth academy as Duje Sliskovic and Elias Ali from Union's U19s side will take part in the matches.

Views on the game

“In the first few days of preparation, the main thing is to get the lads moving, to get a feel for the pitch again and to get the ball at their feet,” said head coach Steffen Baumgart, assessing the first two tests of the summer. “We want to focus on practicing the initial moves – and of course we hope that everyone stays healthy.”

Service information

Saturday's match against Brandenburger SC Süd 05 will be played at the Werner-Seelenbinder-Sportplatz (Brielower Straße 7, 14770 Brandenburg an der Havel). The gates of the sports complex will open at 12:00. Detailed travel information can be found in the PDF file attached below.

Sunday's match will take place at the Jahnsportstätte Ahrensfelde (Ulmenallee 42, 16356 Ahrensfelde). Admission begins at 13:00. Please note that Ulmenallee will be closed from Herderstraße and no public parking will be available. Access is restricted to residents and guests with parking permits. We therefore strongly recommend that you use public transport.

AFTV+ will provide a live stream for both matches. As usual, Union will also provide information about the match on its own live ticker.