On Saturday, 14 December 2024, 1. FC Union Berlin’s men’s team will play their last home game of the year against VfL Bochum 1848. Kick off at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 15:30.

The lie of the land

VfL Bochum's season has been anything but smooth. Having lost 1-0 last weekend at home to Werder Bremen, they are still waiting for their first win of the Bundesliga season.

1. FC Union Berlin, meanwhile, also suffered an unlucky defeat last time out. Despite taking a 2-0 lead at last year’s runners-up VfB Stuttgart, the Berliners went on to lose 3-2. Union goals from Danilho Doekhi and Robert Skov were cancelled out by a Nick Woltemade brace and a goal from captain Atakan Karazor.

The opponents

After a dramatic escape in the relegation play-off in May, when Bochum came back from a 3-0 first leg loss against Fortuna Düsseldorf to win on penalties in the return fixture, the club from the Ruhr Valley remained in the top flight, but are currently anchored to the bottom of the table.

With just two points from 13 games, with only 10 goals scored and 34 conceded, VfL have both the weakest attack and the most vulnerable defence in the league. Their two points came from a 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel and the 1-1 against Bayer Leverkusen – the latter in the debut of new coach Dieter Hecking.

Hecking, who won the DFB Pokal and the Super Cup with VfL Wolfsburg in 2015, initially brought new hope, but after the draw against the reigning champions, three more defeats have followed without them scoring a single goal.

The head to head

With 13 wins, Union are slightly ahead of Bochum in the direct comparison, against 10 defeats and four draws. In the Bundesliga, however, the balance of power is more even. In six games, Union have won twice, Bochum three times with one draw. The last meeting in Köpenick, at the beginning of May, ended with Bochum’s 4-3 win.

The personnel

Union's head coach Bo Svensson will have to do without Yannic Stein and Oluwaseun Ogbemudia for saturday's clash. 

The reunion

Janik Haberer played for VfL Bochum in the 2015/16 season. He scored two goals in 33 2. Liga games for the team from Castroper Straße.

Another interesting link exists with centre-back Kevin Vogt. Born in Witten, he passed through the youth ranks at VfL from 2004 and made his Bundesliga debut for them in 2009 at the age of 17. He has been wearing Union’s shirt since January this year.

Quotes before the game

“We've had a good week of training and are looking forward to the game, especially with our fans there, it's always a highlight,” said Union’s head coach, Bo Svensson during his press conference on Thursday afternoon. “Bochum have performed well under Dieter Hecking, even though they've only picked up one point in the games under his management. They have many strengths, always perform as a team and have dangerous strikers up front. We have laid a good foundation in the last few days and want to take all of that into the game, but we still need a top performance on Saturday. We are playing at home and want to win.”

His opposite number, Hecking, meanwhile had this to say of the clash on Saturday: “Union are well known for playing very compactly and giving their opponents few opportunities. They are one of the best teams when it comes to defending, and they play intensively. They have a lot of pace up front. We'll need to be very focused.”

Service information

For any members wanting to use the game as an opportunity to buy their share in the stadium, the share office on the stadium forecourt will be open on Saturday from 11:00 to 18:00. Completed subscription forms can also be handed in at all Zeughaus stores and at the FuMA stands.

As usual, the Alte Försterei opens two hours before kick-off. The game is sold out in both the home and away sectors. All visitors are advised to arrive early due to significant restrictions on public transport. Further information on this and a fan letter from the police 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 about the game on the club's own live ticker, as well as live updates, as ever, in English and Spanish on Twitter.