High Hopes Against the Bavarian Top Scorers
Union Travel to Face FC Bayern
1. FC Union Berlin’s men’s team are heading south again for the Bundesliga Matchday 27, when Steffen Baumgart’s side take on FC Bayern München on Saturday afternoon. Kick off at the Allianz Arena is at 15:30.
The lie of the land
The record German champions are coming off the back of a somewhat turbulent last Bundesliga weekend marked by disallowed goals, two red cards and, ultimately, a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen. They bounced back, as they tend to, in the UEFA Champions League, however, with their convincing 4-1 victory in the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Atalanta on Wednesday, following a 6-1 win in the first leg.
Union, on the other hand, picked up three crucial points on Sunday evening. Wooyeong Jeong scored the winner in stoppage time in their 1-0 win at SC Freiburg. However, it was goalkeeper Matheo Raab who emerged as the day’s hero, keeping a clean sheet with several fine saves, despite finishing the game with an injured hand.
FC Bayern sit nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table and, with eight matchdays remaining, are well on course for their 35th league title. Yet, as usual, they are also chasing further honours. Real Madrid await in the Champions League quarter-finals, whilst they face another semi-final clash with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the semi-finals.
Bayern’s attack is particularly impressive. With 93 goals this season, the team led by top scorer Harry Kane, are on course to break their own Bundesliga record of 101 goals from the 1971/72 season. The Englishman has 30 Bundesliga goals to his name already and, with eight matches remaining, has his sights firmly set on Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 goals from the 2020/21 season.
In the last league fixture at home Union held Saturday’s hosts to a 2-2 draw, Bayern’s first dropped points this season. Union followed that up with a strong performance in the DFB-Pokal, though were narrowly defeated, 3-2. This will be the 15th meeting between the two sides, with five draws and nine Bayern wins on the record so far.
Union's coaching team will have to do without Matheo Raab and András Schäfer, serving the second suspension of his two-match-ban.
“Bayern München are among the best in Europe. They play very confidently as always, so we have to be brave and clear in our actions. You must not let them gain momentum and you must take advantage of the few opportunities that arise. In the end, it is definitely always special.” said Union's head coach, Steffen Baumgart, during his press conference on Thursday afternoon.
4.400 Union fans are expected to travel to Munich. The Union-Fahr-Zeughaus will also be on site. Information about attending the stadium can be found here (German)
The match will be broadcast live in Germany by DAZN and Sky, with an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and on rbb24. As usual, Union will provide updates via the club's own live ticker and, in English, on twitter during the match. A full, English-only match report will be published on the Union website shortly after the final whistle.
