Union Berlin vs Augsburg – News and Probable Lineups

After securing her first triumph, Union Berlin’s head coach Marie-Louise Eta is now eager to conclude her brief tenure in the Bundesliga with a win against Augsburg in their season finale.

Die Eisernen are aiming for their first consecutive victories since December, while the visiting team still has aspirations for a place in the Europa Conference League.

Match overview

Union Berlin gained widespread attention last month by being the first team in Europe’s top five leagues to appoint a female head coach.

Eta officially took up her position on an interim basis, collecting four points from four matchups, which secured Union’s place in the Bundesliga for the upcoming season.

Last weekend, she made history by achieving her first victory, which came in a thrilling finish as Oliver Burke and Josip Juranovic found the net in quick succession late in their fixture with Mainz, resulting in a 3-1 triumph.

She is now set to savor her final match in this role before returning to the women’s football side at Union Berlin.

While Die Eisernen aspire to conclude their season positively, their previous match history indicates that they might face a challenging encounter.

Union has secured just one win against Augsburg in 11 past meetings, managing to score only three times in their last six contests.

Augsburg has ample motivation heading into their final fixture of the season, as they are actively vying for a spot in the Europa Conference League.

Three teams are in contention, including seventh-placed Freiburg, eighth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, and Augsburg themselves.

With only one point separating the trio, Die Fuggerstadter are buoyed by the realization that both of their competitors are facing top-four teams on Saturday.

Augsburg requires a win this weekend to maintain their hopes of European qualification, and their recent form should provide confidence.

Manuel Baum’s squad has triumphed in three of their last four matches and remains undefeated in the Bundesliga since March.

They have also displayed improvement in scoring, finding the back of the net six times in their last two outings.

The club has only competed in Europe once, reaching the round-of-32 in the Europa League during the 2015-16 season. A return to continental competition would represent a significant milestone for a club that began the season slowly.

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

D L L L D W

Augsburg Bundesliga form:

D D W D W W

Team News

Union Berlin approaches the weekend without Derrick Kohn, who received his fifth yellow card of the season and will consequently be suspended.

Goalkeeping issues continue to hinder Die Eisernen, with Metheo Raab and Frederik Ronnow expected to be unavailable due to hand and muscle-related injuries.

This situation benefits 32-year-old Carl Klaus, who is set to make his fourth consecutive appearance this season.

Additionally, Janik Haberer is a doubt for the weekend after missing the last two fixtures due to a knock.

On the other hand, Augsburg will be without midfielder Kristijan Jakic, who is serving a one-match suspension due to multiple yellow cards.

Defender Dimitrios Giannoulis sustained a thigh injury within the first 15 minutes of last weekend’s match against Borussia Monchengladbach and will miss Saturday’s game.

There are also uncertainties surrounding Arthur Chaves, who has been dealing with knee issues for several weeks.

Union Berlin probable starting XI:

Klaus; Trimmel, Leite, Doekhi, Rothe; Khedira, Kemlein; Burke, Ansah, Burcu; Ilic

Augsburg probable starting XI:

Damen; Matsima, Gouweleuw, Zesiger; Wolf, Massengo, Rieder, Fellhauer; Kade, Komur; Gregoritsch

Union Berlin has shown gradual improvement under their interim head coach, but securing a result against Augsburg may be an uphill task.

Die Fuggerstadter not only come into this match in great form but also harbor serious aspirations for European football. Taking all this into consideration, we anticipate that the visitors will claim all three points.