Probably nobody in Köpenick would say it too loud but the 2-0 victory at Werder Bremen was a big step forward in terms of staying up. Three points against a direct rival – and that away from home where the Berlin side have never won a single league game before. "The team showed great solidarity and produced a mature performance," praised coach Urs Fischer. And: The team now have a nine-point lead over the play-off spot of sixteenth. A really impressive interim position for a club that is in its first ever season in the Bundesliga. But Fischer has assured with his relaxed approach that Union are more and more getting used to the league and are now established in mid-table. The crucial part is the outstanding record at their own ground, the Alte Försterei. The Berliners have clocked up six wins in front of their own fans, which is equal to second-placed RB Leipzig. That includes two wins at home against Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Of course: Bayer 04 present Union with a tough challenge.
Marius Bülter is currently living the dream of many lower league players. Less than two years ago, then at the age of 25, he appeared to have reached his limits playing for SV Rödinghausen in the Regional League West and he was also studying mechanical engineering. Now the powerful forward is in the Bundesliga and he has scored goals against Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, and last weekend he bagged a brace to secure victory for Union over Werder Bremen. "He's making a rapid rise," said Fischer in describing his winger. Bülter, who successfully completed his studies, is now not only the second highest scorer for Union Berlin but his goals have also secured points: The 26-year-old has scored for Union in four Bundesliga games with the side from Köpenick winning three of those games.
In spite of the threat posed by Bülter's physique or the heading ability of striker Sebastian Andersson, the main strength of the team is in the defence: Union have only conceded 32 goals to date – exactly the same number as Borussia Dortmund. No less impressive: Goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz has kept six clean sheets this season (as has Werkself keeper Lukas Hradecky) and only Manuel Neuer has been more successful (eight). More good news for the Union defence: Defender Marvin Friedrich returns from a one-match ban – but even without the key player, Union did not concede at Werder Bremen.
Union do not have many problems at the moment and the season is certainly proceeding to the satisfaction of the management. The team from Köpenick could definitely play more inventive football. The threat often comes from individual moves by Bülter, high crosses to Andersson or from set pieces rather than fast combination play. That was evident in last week's 1-0 win in the DFB Cup against SC Verl when the Berliners found it difficult to penetrate the deep lying defence of the Regional League team. That is not particularly helped by the absence of two of the best technicians in the squad, Akaki Gogia (torn cruciate) and Joshua Mees (thigh injury).
Union have done a lot incredibly well in recent years. The reward: Eleventh in the league ahead of city rivals Hertha Berlin plus progress to the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup. The foundations were laid by the efforts of the calm and efficient team management. That can now be built on – and Union are already making the most of it: Central striker Andersson, the top scorer in the squad with eight goals so far this season and therefore a target for other clubs, last week agreed to a two-year contract extension. And Bülter, currently only on loan from FC Magdeburg, recently expressed the hope that Union will take up their option to buy at the end of the season. That's logical as everyone is happy to play for this club at the moment.
With the win at Werder Bremen, Union have taken a big step towards staying in the top flight. Nine points above the play-off spot provides a relatively comfortable cushion – particularly as the Fischer team have already played two of the big clubs in the second half of the season in RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund. It will take a lot for this club not to be looking forward to their second season in the Bundesliga in the summer.
Freiburg’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend left them two places but a whole 10 points behind Bayer 04. Their results in general may be mixed, but Julian Schuster’s side are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they have earned 24 of their 33 points. Leverkusen may choose to look for the aerial route if they’re to get the better of their hosts, who have conceded more headed goals than any other team. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game in our matchday news.
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A boost for the second Bundesliga away game in a row: The Werkself take on SC Freiburg just three days after the convincing 1-0 win at Hamburger SV. Ahead of the game on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the lessons learned from the rearranged fixture at HSV, a trio on yellow cards and young players like Christian Kofane and Montrell Culbreath.
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SC Freiburg suffered their eighth away defeat of the season in Frankfurt last weekend. But at home, at the Europa Park Stadion, coach Julian Schuster's team are clocking up one win after the next. SCF are unbeaten in the last 16 matches at home. On Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), they will be looking to keep the run going in the clash with the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
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