“Never give up and believe in yourself” is the motto as 1. FC Union Berlin welcome 1. FC Heidenheim in the 2.Bundesliga on Saturday (21.04.2018, 13:00) to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Together in Red!

Last weekend’s victory over FC St. Pauli has breathed new life into Saturday’s fixture as the Köpenick club aim to push clear of the relegation battle at the bottom of the 2.Bundesliga. Union will be backed by a sea of red as part of our ‘Together in Red’ project – 20,000 plus t-shirts will be distributed to those at the game by a number of Union fan clubs and Szene Köpenick.

“We wouldn't mind if things would continue on the same path after the success at St. Pauli. But the game is behind us. Now we have Heidenheim in front of us and it's about winning at home and getting the three points,” said Union head coach Andre Hofschneider at the pre-match press conference.

Our opponents from Heidenheim shocked the league-leaders Fortuna Düsseldorf at home on Sunday, with a 3-1 triumph, which took Frank Schmidt’s team out of the relegation zone and up to 13^th in the table. Kaiserslautern, Darmstadt and St. Pauli are now occupying the relegation spots. Hofschneider’s men are three clear of Heidenheim in ninth and could even push into the top six with three points on home turf.

“Heidenheim plays, similar to Jahn Regensburg, with many long balls, and everyone having to work to win the second balls and gain the upper hand. There are arguments for both systems, but we still have two days to go. We currently have a good squad at our disposal, so there are many options. It's largely up to us what kind of atmosphere we can create at home.”

One midfielder drops out, one returns

Hofschneider confirmed on Thursday that Grischa Prömel missed training and won't recover in time to be considered for the weekend. With Danish keeper Jakob Busk injured, Daniel Mesenhöler will continue between the sticks after his clean sheet on Saturday in Hamburg. The number one from the U19s Lennart Moser will take his place on the bench. Michael Parensen could be involved on Saturday having trained well this week, giving the coach a number of different possibilities tactically.

Fabian Schönheim and Sebastian Polter are still on the sidelines, while Marvin Friedrich is suspended following his dismissal at St. Pauli.

Extra tickets on sale for home fans

There’s still an opportunity for Union supporters to snap up tickets for the Stadion An der Alten Försterei this weekend. More than 1,500 briefs were returned from Heidenheim’s away allocation. Tickets can be purchased from the usual channels online or from the Union club shops at the ground or in Köpenick.