Union Berlin Dreaming Of The Champions League

Published at Mar 3rd, 2022 byAlex McMahon

Photo Credit: AP

Union Berlin FC have played in just two Bundesliga seasons.

This is a club with very limited experience of European football, having twice played in the Intertoto Cup, and featured in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup prior to a group stage elimination from the Europa Conference League in 2021.

Heading down the stretch of the 2021-22 Bundesliga season, though, Union Berlin have a very real chance of European qualification once again.

In fact, the more optimistic will be pondering the Champions League with the club from the capital lying just three points off fourth at the start of March.

The Union Berlin stadium hosted four European fixtures in 2021, starting with a qualifier against Kuopion Palloseura before facing Feyenoord, Slavia Prague and Maccabi Haifa in the group stage.

The Bundesliga side finished third in the group, winning just two of their six matches (both against Maccabi Haifa) and were knocked out.

Across the Intertoto, UEFA Cup and Conference League, Union Berlin FC have played a grand total of 24 continental fixtures. They have won nine, drawn six and lost nine.

As the last 10 matchdays of the Bundesliga campaign commence, Union are well-placed to add to that tally in 2022.

Union Berlin Season So Far

How does a team with the fourth-lowest attendance become a top four challenger? Union Berlin do not have the resources of many of their top half foes, yet they have punched above their weight in back-to-back seasons and show no sign of slowing down.

Their proximity to the top four can partly be attributed to subpar seasons from some of the league’s top clubs.

RB Leipzig stuttered under Jesse Marsch, while Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg are languishing in the bottom half. Leipzig currently reside in fourth with just 40 points from 24 points.

A rate of 1.66 points per game is towards the lower end of what is usually required to get top four – Union Berlin’s 1.54 points per game would often see them be further off the pace at this stage of the season.

Union have been relatively consistent this year. While never building lengthy winning streaks, they have staved off prolonged slumps.

This was a clear characteristic of the team early on, and they crucially got off to a strong start, taking five points from fixtures with Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Monchengladbach and Hoffenheim in their first three matches.

Union Berlin

The early season fixture list wasn’t kind, but things could have taken a turn for the worse when they lost 4-2 to Borussia Dortmund. Union Berlin FC had just one win from five.

They bounced back in a big way, however, clocking three straight league wins before a draw with Stuttgart.

A heavy defeat to Bayern was a disappointment, even if it was unsurprising, and a draw with Koln was particularly frustrating given Anthony Modeste’s last equaliser.

Again, though, Union got back on track with a Berlin derby victory. They then lost to Eintracht Frankfurt, got a good win over Leipzig and lost Greuther Furth.

A five-match unbeaten run either side of the winter break followed, including draws with Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen. Those are the results that really demonstrate Union are for real as a top six challenger.

The top four push took a real hit with three straights losses in February. Two of those being to Augsburg and Arminia Bielefeld made it particularly sore.

A win over Mainz on February 26th was a boost for Die Eisernen, however, leaving them in seventh place and only three points off Leipzig in fourth.

Statistical Outlook

Union Berlin FC aren’t a possession-heavy team. Instead, they rely on opportunities in transition.

Only four teams have a lower average possession mark in the Bundesliga this season, and they are in the bottom five in shot-creating actions per 90, yet they sit around mid-table in expected goals generated.

Simply put, Union knows what to do when they do have the ball. They rarely press in the final third (just two teams have recorded fewer final third pressures), as they prefer to sit deeper, and spring counters.

The attack is solid, but no better than average and they are roughly in line with their expected numbers. It’s at the other end where Union really excel, with only 32.2 expected goals conceded this season.

Union Berlin

Bayern, Dortmund, Freiburg and Mainz are the only sides with a better number in that category.

There is no distinct change between home and away, with Union ranking in mid-table in points won on the road and at Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

They are a good all-round team, a team that could easily push its way into the top five with a hot finishing streak to end the season.

Regardless of their final placing, holding their own in the top half has to be recognised as real progress for Union. They have proved that last season wasn’t a fluke.