A few days after the turn of the year, the professional men's team of 1. FC Union Berlin will play its first and only test match in the short winter preparation programme. Under the direction of the new coaching team led by Steffen Baumgart, the Iron Men will play two 60-minute matches against Kiel SV Holstein at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei on Sunday, 5 January 2025, starting at 13:00.

The lie of the land

For the Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e. V., which is currently playing its debut season in the Bundesliga, the match in Köpenick is also the only one before league action resumes next week. Head coach Marcel Rapp's team went into the Christmas holidays a fortnight ago with eight points and an impressive 5:1 home win against FC Augsburg and will certainly want to take the euphoria from this victory into the upcoming matches against SC Freiburg, Borussia Dortmund and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

For the players of 1. FC Union Berlin, the beginning of the year also marks the start of their time under new head coach Steffen Baumgart: he and his coaching team only recently took over the reins on the touchline. The Ironmen lost 4-1 in Bremen before the Christmas break, but have two matches against direct opponents in the table ahead of them: 1. FC Heidenheim and FC Augsburg.

The opponents

The first and so far only Bundesliga team from Schleswig-Holstein certainly had a different idea of their first season in the top flight of German football: After 15 match days so far, they have two wins, two draws and eleven defeats to their name. With a haul of eight points, they are currently 17th in the table, but are still just two points behind the safe places.

The two centre forwards Shuto Machino and Phil Harres have been prolific so far, scoring nine and four goals respectively in all competitions, while full-back Lasse Rosenboom and midfielder Armin Gigovic have contributed three goals each.

Service information

The stadium will open its gates 90 minutes before kick-off. Due to restrictions on public transport, visitors are advised to allow extra time for their journey. The Berlin S-Bahn is operating a rail replacement service between S Karlshorst and S Friedrichshagen on Sunday.

Tickets are on sale at all Union train stations and online.

Those who are unable to attend the match live will be able to follow the game via AFTV live stream. As usual, Union will also provide information about the match in the club's own live ticker.