Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund

Stadion An der Alten Försterei sets the stage for a handsomely-looking Bundesliga encounter between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund.

After a disheartening 15th-place finish last term, Union Berlin’s resurgence under new manager Bo Svensson is going smoothly. Despite a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach in the previous round, ‘Die Eisernen’ remain in the upper half of the Bundesliga table after five matches (W2, D2, L1), though only barely. Union’s two league victories came on this ground, albeit against lower-ranked opponents TSG Hoffenheim and St Pauli. Despite the stature of their next opposition, the hosts should still take the field in a confident mood after winning three of the five previous top-flight H2Hs at home (L2). With the last three meetings between Union and Dortmund at this stadium witnessing the winner on the day score 2+ goals without a reply, it’s only natural to assume that whoever scores first would likely grab three points.

It’s hard to put it past Borussia Dortmund to get there first following a historic 7-1 demolition of Celtic in midweek Champions League action. However, Nuri Sahin’s side stuttered on their last Bundesliga travel, slumping to an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Stuttgart, extending their winless league run on the road to four matches (D1, L3). They impressively bounced back from that fiasco a week ago, overhauling a two-goal deficit in a scintillating 4-2 home triumph against Bochum to enter this fixture on the periphery of the top four. That’s hardly enough to meet the club’s lofty appetites amid Dortmund’s worst five-game start in the Bundesliga since 2014/15. The only positive is that only three Bundesliga teams have outscored Dortmund’s 11-goal haul after five games.