Last Stop, the Fuggerstadt:
Union's Men’s Season Ends in Augsburg
To conclude the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, 1. FC Union Berlin’s men’s team will travel to FC Augsburg on Saturday. Kick off against the Bundesliga’s eleventh-placed team is at 15:30.
The lie of the land
The thoughts of what could have been will surely be on the minds of many in Augsburg as they look back on a season that promised much. After a bumpy start, FCA gradually established themselves in mid-table and, just in time for the end of the first half of the season, kicked off a remarkable run of eleven games unbeaten with a 2-0 win over Union. Head coach Jess Thorup's team had picked up 23 out of a possible 33 points by the beginning of April, keeping a clean sheet in eight of those games. This run saw them close in on the European places, but they ultimately squandered any chance of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League for the first time since 2015/16 due to a mini slump in recent weeks. They suffered three consecutive defeats against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Kieler SV Holstein and VfB Stuttgart.
As the season closes, Union are also looking for a little redemption. Having gone eight consecutive games without defeat, Steffen Baumgart's side suffered a 3-0 defeat at home to 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 on matchday 33 and will likely finish the season in their current position, 13th.
Winter signing Cédric Zesiger, who joined Augsburg on loan from VfL Wolfsburg, played a major role in the club’s upturn after the turn of the year. Previously only a part-time player in Wolfsburg, the five-time Swiss international became an important part of the FCA defence, which kept a clean sheet six times in a row between matchdays 21 and 26.
On the other side of the pitch, Alexis Claude-Maurice, Phillip Tietz and Samuel Essende are the three main players when it comes to scoring goals. While Claude-Maurice, currently on nine goals and three assists, and Tietz (six and two) will be on the hunt for more on Saturday, centre forward Essende is out of action for the time being. In the 4-0 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart, the seven-goal scorer was shown a red card in the eleventh minute.
FCA have won seven of the 15 previous competitive meetings, with seven draws and just the one win for Union. It is noteworthy that only one team has scored three goals in a game in the history of the rivalry (3-1 for FC Augsburg on the first matchday of the 2020/21 season) and that the club from the Fuggerstadt have yet to lose at home to Union. Saturday’s guests will be looking to draw on their current form on the road, having won two and drawn two of their last four away games.
In Rani Khedira, Kevin Vogt and László Bénes, there are three players in Union’s squad on Saturday who have played a total of 200 games for FCA.
Former Union player, Keven Schlotterbeck, meanwhile, is waiting for his 23rd Augsburg appearance this season. He played 27 times for Union in the 2019/20 season.
Union's coaching team will have to do without Aljoscha Kemlein, Robert Skov, Jerome Roussillon and Wooyeong Jeong for the match.
“The goal is to get the best possible outcome," said Union's head coach, Steffen Baumgart on Thursday afternoon. "Augsburg had a good run, often keeping clean sheets in those matches, and will certainly give their all in the last home game. We know what to expect and will approach the 90 minutes with the necessary concentration and focus.“
“When we sit in the locker room after the game, with dirty shirts and shorts, then we know we have given everything. But it’s clear: We have to fight on Saturday, and of course, we want to celebrate a home victory with our fans at the end of the season,” explained Baumgart's opposite number Jess Thorup before the encounter.
Union will be able to count on the support of 2,900 Union fans in Bavaria. Further information about visiting the stadium can be found here (German)
The match will be broadcast live on Sky. In addition, there will be an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and on rbb24, and as usual, Union will also offer live updates in English on Twitter and Bluesky