The men's team of 1. FC Union Berlin will face Borussia Dortmund in the 6th match day of the Bundesliga on Saturday, 5 October 2024. Kick off in the An der Alten Försterei stadium is at 15:30.

The lie of the land

Dortmund are yet to drop a point so far at home, and recently turned a 0-2 deficit against VfL Bochum into a remarkable 4-2 victory. On the road, however, things have looked a little different, with them recording only a goalless draw in Bremen and suffering the huge 5-1 defeat the hands of last season’s runners-up, Stuttgart.

Union, meanwhile, have been flawless at the Alte Försterei so far, with wins against FC St. Pauli (1-0) and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (2-1). They drew their first two away games before suffering a bitter 1-0 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach in time-added-on last week.

The Opponents

Saturday’s guests are currently fifth in the Bundesliga table, the same position they finished in last season, in which Dortmund secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League after finishing second in 2022 and 2023.

After BVB, still under coach Edin Terzic, lost to record winners Real Madrid in the Champions League final this summer, they kicked off the new CL format with a 3-0 away win over Club Brugge. On Wednesday night, Dortmund beat Celtic 7-1 in the former Westfalen Stadium.

Particular attention will be paid to last season’s second top scorer, Serhou Guirassy, who joined Dortmund from VfB Stuttgart this summer. The Guinean international has already scored three times in three Bundesliga games. He also scored one against Union last season.

The head to head

The two teams will meet for the 13th time in a competitive fixture. Interestingly, there has not yet been a draw. Dortmund have won nine games, Union three. The three wins for the Berliners have all come at the Alte Försterei, with the last one coming almost two years ago with a 2-0 win in which Janik Haberer scored a brace.

The personnel

Union's head coach Bo Svensson will have to do without Kevin Volland and Ivan Prtajin, while the injured Josip Juranović and Yannic Stein are also unavailable.

The reunions

Union left-back Tom Rothe joined from Borussia Dortmund during this summer transfer window. After a total of 51 appearances for their U19s and second team, he made seven appearances for the first team, scoring on his Bundesliga debut against VfL Wolfsburg.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Julian Ryerson and Nico Schlotterbeck. The 26-year-old Norwegian made 109 appearances for Union and was one of the heroes of the 2019/20 promotion campaign. Schlotterbeck made 17 appearances for Union on loan from SC Freiburg during the 2020/21 season.

The coaches’ views ahead of the game

“We didn't need the game against Celtic Glasgow this week to know that we will face a top opponent tomorrow,” was Union head coach, Bo Svensson’s appraisal of his opponents on Saturday afternoon. “They got great players in the summer and have a lot of quality. We have to focus on our own strengths, look forward to the game and have to bring our very best performance to the pitch.”

His opposite number, Nuri Sahin, had this to say, meanwhile: “Union have only conceded three goals, which is extraordinary. Last year wasn't so good, but they now have a coach of whom I have a very high opinion. An unpleasant opponent awaits us tomorrow.”

Service information

As usual, the Stadion An der Alten Försterei will open two hours before kick-off. The game is sold out in both the home and away sections, so all visitors are advised to arrive early. Information about the shuttle buses used due to the closure of the tram service at the ‘Alte Försterei’ stop can be found here (German).

The game will be broadcast live on Sky. In addition, there will be an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and on rbb24. As usual, Union will also provide information on the game via the club's own live ticker, as well as offering updates in English and Spanish on Twitter.