Union Berlin vs Frankfurt – News and Probable Lineups

This Saturday afternoon, Union Berlin is set to commence their eighth consecutive season in the Bundesliga with an exciting match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.

Over the summer, both clubs made managerial shifts and enter this season opener following impressive victories in the DFB-Pokal.

Match overview

Union Berlin kicked off their competitive season with a 4-2 win against Eintracht Braunschweig in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last weekend, although they had to recover from behind twice before ultimately securing a spot in the next round.

The win also marked Mauro Lustrinelli’s first competitive match in charge, as the 50-year-old took the helm during the summer following impressive coaching stints in Switzerland.

Lustrinelli arrives in the German capital with a solid reputation, having led FC Thun to promotion to the Swiss Super League and securing a historic title in the subsequent season.

Reproducing that success with Union is undoubtedly a more challenging task, but the new head coach aims to improve upon the club’s respectable 11th place finish from the previous season.

This summer, Union has worked to strengthen their squad, investing around £5m to bring in players like Michel Aebischer, Felix Uduokhai, and Stanley Nsoki.

They have also bolstered their attacking threat with the acquisition of former Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, who joins on loan from Atlanta United.

Eintracht Frankfurt faced a rocky campaign last season, experiencing three managerial changes before finishing eighth in the Bundesliga.

Albert Riera was the last to take charge, guiding the club through the latter stages of the season, but internal strife and various controversies ultimately cut his tenure short.

In a bid to restore stability and re-establish a challenge against Bundesliga’s top teams, Frankfurt has brought back former manager Adi Hutter.

The Austrian enjoyed a successful first term at Deutsche Bank Park, notably steering the team to the semi-finals of both the DFB-Pokal and Europa League.

He now inherits a squad that has significantly changed. Players such as Nathaniel Brown and Aurele Amenda have left for substantial fees, while Frankfurt has signed Noel Aseko, Raphael Onyedika, Otavio, Malik Pimpong, and Noel Futkeu.

Some of these new signings experienced their first competitive action in last weekend’s DFB-Pokal opener, where Frankfurt won convincingly with an 11-0 scoreline against fifth-tier opponents.

This ruthless performance is likely to provide Hutter with a lot of motivation going into the Bundesliga opener, especially as he seeks to quickly shape his revamped squad into a competitive unit.

Team News

Union Berlin will enter the new season with a number of injury concerns affecting several players.

Oliver Burke, for example, continues to recover from an Achilles injury and will not be fit for this match.

Marvin Friedrich remains a doubt, while Andrik Markgraf (knee), Stanley Nsoki (calf), and Robert Skov (muscle) are also sidelined.

On a more positive note for Union, goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow may be fit for selection after returning from injury, but it could be too soon for him to feature in the starting XI. Matheo Raab is expected to start.

For Eintracht Frankfurt, Hutter’s squad is also grappling with some injury issues ahead of the season start.

Nnamdi Collins is dealing with back problems, while Ansgar Knauff has sustained a thigh injury.

Jessic Ngankam is sidelined with a muscle issue, although Jonathan Burkardt is likely to lead the attack despite struggling with an illness.

Union Berlin probable starting XI:

Raab; Juranovic, Querfeld, Van den Bosch, Rothe; Jeong, Kemlein, Khedira, Burcu; Latte Lath, Ljubicic

Eintracht Frankfurt probable starting XI:

Santos; Baum, Koch, Otavio, Kosugi; Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Gotze, Onyedika, Uzun; Ebnoutalib, Burkardt

This fixture sees Union Berlin have home advantage on Saturday, although it may not be sufficient to surpass a resolute Eintracht Frankfurt side.

With their 11-goal scoreline from last weekend, the visitors will be brimming with confidence going into the season opener, and we anticipate them finding the net a few more times in what could be a high-scoring draw.