VfB Stuttgart: Müller, Anton, Endo (Coulibaly 85), Mavropanos (Stenzel 59), Kalajdzic, Karazor, Marmoush, Tomas (Mangala 59), Führich, Sosa, Ito
With Andreas Luthe, Kevin Behrens, Genki Haraguchi and Levin Öztunali in quarantine, Urs Fischer made two changes to his starting line-up. Danish goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow deputised for Luthe between the sticks as he has done already in three different competitions, while Kevin Möhwald was given the nod to take up Haraguchi's role in midfield. Julian Ryerson was a late drop out from the squad due to a stomach bug. Union head coach Urs Fischer marked his 150th game in charge of the club with the visit of Stuttgart, who his side defeated in the promotion play-off back on 27 May 2019. The former Stuttgart midfielder Rani Khedira almost fired Union in front after three minutes with a rasping long-range drive which fired narrowly over the bar. Both teams were hard to separate for the first 20 minutes of the half and neither goalkeeper faced a ton of pressure. Rönnow and Florian Müller on the Stuttgart side had more touches of the ball by and large from goal kicks instead of attacking action. Grischa Prömel, born in Stuttgart, set the tone for Union's play when he joined up with Awoniyi and Sheraldo Becker in forward areas. On 27 minutes, Prömel's run in behind created the opportunity for Niko Gießelmann to smash a shot straight at Müller from the left. The following corner kick was cleared only as far as Möhwald who couldn't direct his speculative volley on target. Through this period of the match, Union were dominant and crisper in turning defensive interceptions into attacking play. Prömel attempted another strike at goal on 30 minutes but Müller held firm. Pellegrino Matarazzo's side picked up a lucky break on the flank when Gießelmann was punished for a handball offence. The cross put Union on the back foot and Wataru Endo headed into the ground from a few yards out instead of at the goal. That missed opportunity could have shifted the momentum of the game, but instead it was Union who ended the half in the driving seat. Becker knocked the ball in behind for Awoniyi on 38 minutes but Robert Hartmann blew up for offside as the Nigerian fired past Müller. A minute later, Baumgartl's shot was blocked and it wasn't long before Stuttgart succumbed to intense pressure. Prömel picked up the ball on the edge of the box, shot at goal and Konstantinos Mavropanos held out a hand, leaving referee Hartmann with a clear penalty call. From 12 yards, Awoniyi sent Müller the wrong way to make it 11 goals for the Bundesliga season so far.
The second 45 at the Alte Försterei started in the same fashion as the first 20 minutes. Neither side were able to create goalscoring opportunities with referee Hartmann having to deal with a lot of niggly fouls. Mavropanos needed to be replaced after injury on 56 minutes with Pascal Stenzel coming on for Stuttgart. Möhwald's race was run after 66 minutes and Andras Schäfer returned to the field with the Hungarian international still looking to get up to speed. A second for Union would have killed the game but Gießelmann couldn't head in a great chance on 69 minutes following a terrific cross on his weaker side from Becker. Omar Marmoush fired wide with an ambitious effort, while Robin Knoche headed over after 79 minutes. Sven Michel and Andreas Voglsammer replaced the front two with Union struggling to get a grip of the contest. The last 15 minutes saw Stuttgart pile on the pressure after finding some energy. A pass in behind from Endo cut the Union defence open but Kalajdzic shot against the post with six minutes to play. After scoring last week to turn over Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Austrian striker wasn't going to pass up another bite at the cherry. Sosa whipped in a dangerous ball and Kalajdzic fired past Rönnow to give the visitors a point.
It's back on the road for Fischer's team next week as Union head to league-leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Union aim for home win against Stuttgart
Match preview
1. FC Union Berlin will welcome VfB Stuttgart to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday at 15:30 as Urs Fischer's side look to get closer to the 40-point target.
Review — The last match:
Taiwo Awoniyi's own goal meant 1. FC Union Berlin picked up no points from the trip to Wolfsburg last weekend. The week had gone well for the Köpenick club with a 3-1 win at home to Mainz before a quarter-final German Cup victory over FC St. Pauli. Despite a good first-half performance and a dominant second-half showing, Urs Fischer's team were unable to get the just rewards. Sheraldo Becker put the ball beyond Koan Casteels on 55 minutes but referee Patrick Ittrich adjudged there to have been a foul in the build-up. Union pushed in the second half for the equaliser but passed up the opportunities in and around the penalty box.
Stuttgart — Opposition Report:
VfB Stuttgart have 22 points on the board this season, but find themselves second from bottom. There is a point difference between Pellegrino Matarazzo's side and Berlin rivals Hertha and three to Arminia Bielefeld in safety. An impressive comeback at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach has given The Swabians an opportunity to fight for survival. Stuttgart were down two goals after 35 minutes but strikes from Wataru Endo, Chris Führich and Sasa Kalajdzic completed the turnaround. It was Stuttgart's first win for 10 games and their first home victory since a 2-1 defeat of Mainz in November.
Stuttgart — The coach's view:
"It's an active team. Robust. They've showed character in difficult situations to come back. Last week they came back from two goals. It was well deserved. It's a team that always tries to play. They've got a target man up front, speed out wide and in 1-v-1 situations. It's a good team," Urs Fischer said in the pre-match press conference.
Personnel:
Keita Endo is still unavailable for selection but is working back from injury in training. Andreas Luthe and Kevin Behrens have tested positive for coronavirus and won't be available. There are two more in quarantine: Genki Haraguchi and Levin Öztunali.
Service:
With the 2G-Plus rules in place on Saturday, there will be 16,509 allowed in the stadium. An away allocation of 1,000 has been taken up by Stuttgart.
