The players of 1. FC Union Berlin will have the opportunity on Wednesday evening to show a reaction to their Bundesliga defeat in Bochum when, in the last game before the winter break, they will face their direct neighbours in the table, 1. FC Köln. Kick off at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 18:30.

The lie of the land

The 16^th game of the season is a classic six-pointer between the sides currently in 15^th and 16^th in the table; they are level on ten points each, on a -16 goal difference, with Union only ahead on goals scored. A win for either side would mean a Christmas spent in the comparative safety of mid-table, whereas a loss would mean a long new year spent with the swirling doubts and fears of a place in the relegation places.

The opponents

While coach Steffen Baumgart led Effzeh to the Conference League in his debut season in 20/21 and finished safely in mid-table with his team a year later, so far this one has been far more disappointing. Alongside those ten points in 15 games, they have also scored the fewest goals in the league. Their weakness in front of goal is also evident when looking at the numbers. In addition to top scorer Davie Selke, who has scored four times so far, only two other Cologne players, Luca Waldschmidt and Maina Linton, have managed to score at least one goal from open play.

However, this lack of success is not due to a lack of commitment. With 1,802.6 kilometres run, Köln have the third-best mileage in the Bundesliga, and, with 187, have played the most crosses in the league. The problem, unlike in previous years, though is that those crosses rarely pose a threat in the opposition penalty area.

"The positive thing is that we get crosses in,” said Baumgart, recognising the problem immediately. “The negative thing is that the percentage we get on the end of not even close to sufficient." In the decisive situations, they haven’t shown the necessary composure, and their opponents have now adjusted to the tactics. "That means we have to come up with something new," continued the coach. 

The reunion

For Baumgart, the match at the Alte Försterei is also a return to his adopted home. The former striker played for Union between 2002 and 2004 scoring 22 goals in 68 competitive matches. He was also voted "Union Player of the Year" twice, lives with his family in Köpenick and is a club member. In an interview shortly after being promoted to the Bundesliga in 2019, the 51-year-old emphasised, "I'm still an Unioner and always will be." 

Centre-back Dominique Heintz can also look back on time at the club. Between January and May 2022, he played nine competitive matches for Union, including the full 90 minutes in the 3-2 derby win over Hertha BSC in the DFB Pokal, and played a significant role in the Union’s successful qualification for the Europa League. At the end of the season, he was loaned out to Bochum for a year before finally moving to Cologne permanently in the summer of 2023, where he has made five competitive appearances so far.  

The head to head 

Union are unbeaten in ten competitive matches against Köln and have won seven of them. However, the duels have almost always been close, and five of the seven wins have been by the single goal. Last season, Union secured a 1-0 win away and a goalless draw at home. 

Personnel

Danilho Doekhi and Robin Gosens will not be available on Wednesday evening due to injury. 

The coaches’ views ahead of the game

"Köln are a team that press a lot, are strong runners and look to make tackles,” said Union head coach, Nenad Bjelica during his press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “If we manage to be better in these areas, we have a good chance of winning. To do that, we need to show commitment and the right willingness. The team has trained hard and are motivated to please the fans in the last game before the winter break. After an autumn, which has not been easy, it would be nice to go on holiday with a win - for everyone who loves this club." 

"We want to go to Berlin to get a win,” said Baumgart, meanwhile. “I assume that's what our opponents want too. It will be a difficult game... We have the same number of points; Union have one game less. Anyone who knows the Alte Försterei knows that the place will be on fire tomorrow."

Service information 

The Stadion An der Alten Försterei is sold out and the match will be broadcast live on Sky. There will also be an audio stream on rbb24 Inforadio and rbb24. As usual, Union will also provide information about the match via the club's own live ticker, as well as in English and Spanish on Twitter.