Union Berlin will kick off their eighth successive Bundesliga season with a tasty clash against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei this Saturday afternoon.

Both clubs made managerial changes over the summer, and both come into this season opener on the back of impressive DFB-Pokal victories. 

Match preview

Union Berlin began their competitive campaign with a 4-2 victory over Eintracht Braunschweig in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last weekend, although they were forced to come from behind twice before eventually securing their place in the next round.

The victory was also Mauro Lustrinelli‘s first competitive game in charge, with the 50-year-old taking over in the summer following a remarkable coaching spell in Switzerland.

Lustrinelli arrives in the German capital with an impressive reputation after guiding FC Thun to promotion to the Swiss Super League before leading them to a historic title win in the very next season.

Repeating that success with Union is a much tougher proposition, but the new boss will be aiming to improve on the club’s respectable 11th-placed finish from last season.

Union have made attempts to strengthen their squad during the summer transfer market, spending around £5m on the likes of Michel Aebischer, Felix Uduokhai and Stanley Nsoki.

They have also strengthened their attacking options with the addition of former Middlesbrough forward Emmanuel Latte Lath, who has joined on loan from Atlanta United.

© Iconsport / Miguel Lemos/ZUMA Press Wire

Eintracht Frankfurt endured a turbulent campaign last season, going through three different managers before eventually finishing eighth in the Bundesliga.

Albert Riera was the third man to take charge and guided the club through the final stages of the campaign, but unrest within the squad and a series of controversies ultimately brought an early end to his tenure.

Looking to restore some stability and once again challenge the Bundesliga’s heavyweights, Frankfurt have turned to a familiar face by reappointing former boss Adi Hutter.

The Austrian enjoyed a successful first spell at the Deutsche Bank Park, most notably guiding the club to the semi-finals of both the DFB-Pokal and Europa League.

He now inherits a considerably different squad. Nathaniel Brown and Aurele Amenda left for big money, while Frankfurt have brought in Noel Aseko, Raphael Onyedika, Otavio, Malik Pimpong and Noel Futkeu.

Some of those new arrivals were handed their first taste of competitive action in last weekend’s DFB-Pokal opener, as Frankfurt cruised to an emphatic 11-0 victory over fifth-tier opposition.

That ruthless display will have given Hutter plenty of encouragement ahead of the opening Bundesliga weekend, particularly as he looks to quickly mould his new-look squad into a competitive force.

Union Berlin form (all competitions):

Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Union Berlin will be without several players as the club heads into the new season with injury problems.

Oliver Burke, for instance, is still recovering from his Achilles injury and will not be available for selection.

Marvin Friedrich is a doubt for the match, while Andrik Markgraf (knee), Stanley Nsoki (calf) and Robert Skov (muscle) will remain on the sidelines.

In better news for the Berlin club, goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow could be in contention after recovering from his injury, though it may be a tad too early to throw him into the starting lineup. Expect Matheo Raab to start.

When it comes to Eintracht Frankfurt, Hutter’s men are also dealing with a few injury problems ahead of the new season.

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

Jessic Ngankam is out with a muscle injury, while Jonathan Burkardt should lead the attack despite battling an illness. 

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

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

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:

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

 

 

We say: Union Berlin 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

Union Berlin will have home advantage on Saturday, but that may not be enough to overcome a determined Eintracht Frankfurt side.

Scoring 11 goals last weekend will have filled the visitors with confidence ahead of their season opener, and we are backing them to rattle the net a couple more times in a high-scoring draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.