Union Berlin-Mainz is a match from the first day of the Bundesliga and is played on Sunday at 3:30pm: TV, likely lineups, predictions.
The rise of Union Berlin, one of the happiest surprises in the German top league, continues to be steady. Last season the Eisernen broke down another “wall,” qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history. A momentous achievement, considering that this small club – if we can still call it that – has only been attending the Bundesliga since 2019.
After having already tasted Europe – in the last two seasons they played in both the Conference and Europa League – Union will now try their hand at the continent’s most important and prestigious competition. Regardless of how it turns out, the red and white fans are living a dream from which they no longer want to wake up. Urs Fischer’s men have already proven that they can handle the weekly double-header: in the 2022-23 season they went all the way to the round of 16 in the Europa League and also made their way to the German Cup, being eliminated in the quarterfinals by Eintracht Frankfurt. But the real masterpiece Union achieved it in the league, finishing in fourth place behind the big boys, winning the long-distance duel with Freiburg in the final days. To raise the bar ahead of the Champions League, the ownership is busy in the market: the most important purchase, besides the various Volland and Tousart, is Robin Gosens, who arrived for 13 million euros from Inter.
Union overwhelming in the cup
In the two most recent friendlies, Union Berlin beat two Italian teams, Udinese and Atalanta, 1-0 and 4-1 respectively. It was also all easy in the first round of the German Cup: the red and whites on Sunday had an easy time against Walldorf, overwhelmed 4-0.
Mainz’s Van den Berg and Krauss
In the German capital comes Bo Svensson’s Mainz, Borussia Dortmund’s executioner on the last day of last season’s championship: despite having nothing more to ask for, the Nullfünfer honored the challenge with the Yellowoneri, drawing 2-2 and serving yet another title to Bayern Munich on a silver platter. The Danish coach, waiting for good news from the market, sets his sights on that Europe that has eluded him twice in a row.
The prediction
Mainz has not beaten Union Berlin since 2021, and from their last two visits to the capital they have always returned empty-handed. In recent years the gap between the two teams seems to have widened further: hosts favored.
The probable lineups of Union Berlin-Mainz
- UNION BERLIN (3-4-2-1): Ronnow; Doekhi, Knoche, Leite; Juranovic, Kral, Laidouni, Roussillon; Fofana, Becker; Behrens.
- MAINZ (3-4-2-1): Zentner; Bell, Kohr, Fernandes; da Costa, Krauß, Barreiro, Caci; Lee, Onisiwo; Ajorque.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
