Fireworks are expected at the stadium An der Alten Försterei on the fifth day of the Bundesliga season, as 1. FC Union Berlin host the record German champions (and league leaders) FC Bayern Munich. Kick-off is on Saturday, 03.09.2022 at 15:30. The clubs are level on points at the top of the table, with Bayern ahead only on goal difference.

The Opponents:

The biggest disturbance Bayern had to face at the start of the new season was the departure of Robert Lewandowski. His influence on Bayern's national and international success remains undisputed, scoring 344 goals in only 375 games. Only Gerd Müller scored more times for them.

His replacement at Säbener Straße was Liverpool's Sadio Mané, but the two strikers' playing styles could not be more different, leading to Bayern's head coach Julian Nagelsmann tweaking their tactical system for the new season. In each of the four games played in the Bundesliga, Bayern played with two rows of four and two up front, Mané playing with either Thomas Müller or Serge Gnabry.

Despite Bayern's dominance over the past ten years, more superlatives were still needed for this year. With nine points from three games, 15 goals and only one conceded, FCB have surpassed their own best start to a season, set in 2012/13.

However, none of this changes the simple fact that a loss on Saturday would put them into second in the table, behind Union.

Head-to-Head

There is only one current Bundesliga club never to have been beaten by Union: FC Bayern. Union lost the first and the last two encounters. But in 2020/21, they matched their illustrious opponents, drawing 1-1 both home and away at the Allianz Arena thanks to goals from the departed Grischa Prömel and Marcus Ingvartsen.

The Reunion:

Milos Pantovic came through all of Bayern's youth teams before moving from the U23s to VfL Bochum in 2018. AH had started at the club at the age of eleven, eight years later he made his Bundesliga debut under Pep Guardiola.

Personnel:

Head coach Urs Fischer will have to do without central defender Diogo Leite. Otherwise, apart from Timo Baumgartl, the entire squad is available.

The coach's views ahead of the match:

Urs Fischer was cautious in his press conmference, playing down the 6-1 win away at Schalke last week. But he said he'd try to enjoy it too. “It’s a nice task,” said Union’s head coach, Urs Fischer. “Bayern have a lot of players that are extremely quick, players that can decide a game. It will take courage, both with and without the ball. But we're not thinking about a top-of-the-table clash, we just want to play as well as we can onto the pitch."

Service information: No more tickets available

The stadium opens at 13:30 and is completely sold out in both the home and away sections. Users of the Union app can scan their mobile ticket at the entrances. Alternatively, the QR code on your Print@Home ticket (analogue or digital) can also be scanned.