Battling Berliners: How Union will look to cause Bayern problems

All good things come in threes! This Saturday (15:30 CET), FC Bayern host Union Berlin on their home turf at the Allianz Arena – following two close encounters so far this season (3-2; 2-2), the Munich side are now looking to secure a convincing home win. The visitors, who travel to Munich on the back of an important away victory, are determined to prevent that by any means necessary. Read all about the tactics Union plan to use to cause Bayern problems in our opposition profile.

Union have been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride since drawing their first three games in mid-January against Mainz, Augsburg and Stuttgart. Two heavy defeats against top-class sides (3-0 against Dortmund and 3-1 against Hoffenheim) were followed by a creditable 1-1 draw against Frankfurt. Following a setback at HSV (3-2), Baumgart’s side beat Champions League participants Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-0 at the Alte Försterei. Two subsequent defeats against relegation candidates Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-0 and Werder Bremen (4-1) meant Union had to start looking over their shoulder in the table again, having briefly been within striking distance of the European spots. Last time out, however, the Köpenick men celebrated an extremely important 1–0 away win at Europa League round of 16 side SC Freiburg.

FC Bayern should be on their guard ahead of the clash with the Irons, who thrive when facing strong, confident top-class sides by sitting deep and waiting for counter-attacking and set-piece opportunities - something VfB Stuttgart (2-1), Eintracht Frankfurt (4-3), RB Leipzig (3-1), Leverkusen (1-0) and Freiburg (1-0) already discovered to their cost this season. The Berliners have picked up 19 points in matches against the teams currently in the top half of the Bundesliga this term (five wins, four draws, five defeats); only FC Bayern (35) and TSG Hoffenheim (23) have performed better. With 31 points after 26 matchdays, Union are sitting in an impressive ninth place (eighth-placed Freiburg have just three points more), and are seven points above the relegation play-off spot (16th place).

Decisive weeks coming up after Bayern game

That sounds like a comfortable cushion at first glance, but Baumgart’s side can't afford to rest on their laurels, as their defeats against the relegation candidates have shown. In the weeks following their visit to the league leaders, Union face St. Pauli (16th), Heidenheim (18th) and Wolfsburg (17th). These games will determine whether the final few matchdays will be about European qualification, relegation or securing a mid-table spot.

In the DFB Cup round of 16 in early December, FC Bayern ran out 3–2 winners at Union in a frenzied, intense battle – a match characterised above all by extraordinary moments. Two penalties, two own goals and five goals from set pieces reflected the unique dynamics of that evening. The Munich side will have to be on their guard this Saturday too, whenever the Berliners, led by Rani Khedira, are awarded a set piece. In December, compared to their league clash in the first half of the season, Bayern appeared far more focused on Union’s aggressive pressing and set-piece abilities; they took control early on and were clinical with their own set-pieces as they took a 2-0 lead – including through a header from Harry Kane. Yet the Berliners remained dangerous, fought their way back into the game with two converted penalties and ensured a frantic closing phase in which the Munich men had to work incredibly hard, particularly defensively, to hang on to their narrow lead.

The reverse fixture in the Bundesliga at the Alte Försterei in November also turned out to be a hard-fought battle, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The Berliners were extremely aggressive from the off, strong in the tackle and tactically disciplined; they caused Bayern major problems and deservedly took the lead – the first time the Bavarians had fallen behind in more than 800 minutes this season. Bayern struggled to get into the game for a long period, only created chances late on and needed a stroke of genius from Luis Díaz to equalise (check out his Goal of the Month here). Despite Bayern’s dominance in the second half, Union struck again late on in the 90 minutes, before Bayern demonstrated their mental fortitude in stoppage time and, following a cross from Tom Bischof, managed to equalise through Harry Kane – a late but hard-fought draw in a match that was once again characterised by tackles, set pieces and high intensity.

It’s pretty much as certain as the Yabbadabbadoo chant that follows a Bayern goal at the Allianz Arena that Union Berlin, under Steffen Baumgart, will play with a back three. That was the case in the 1–0 win against Leverkusen and in the 4-1 defeat to Bremen, when Baumgart’s side had to play with ten men for over 70 minutes after Schäfer was shown the red card. The back three currently consists of Danilho Doekhi, Leopold Querfeld and Stanley Nsoki. Diogo Leite is currently sidelined with a thigh injury. First-choice goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow recently picked up a foot injury, which is why Matheo Raab started in goal in Freiburg. The keeper put in a strong performance, but has now injured his hand. It remains to be seen who will be between the sticks in Munich. It will also be interesting to see whether Baumgart will revert to a back four, as he did in the recent away win at Freiburg. With defensive lynchpin Querfeld suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card, former Bayern player Derrick Köhn defended on the left and captain and long-serving veteran Christopher Trimmel on the right.

In defensive midfield, key players Rani Khedira and Janik Haberer are likely to start, whilst Union have several options in attacking midfield. Wooyeong Jeong, who, like his teammate Köhn, sensationally won the third division title with FC Bayern’s reserves in 2020, has with three goals been the Bundesliga’s top substitute since the turn of the year. The South Korean also scored the last-minute winner in Freiburg last week. Köhn now faces competition on the left wing again from the recovered Tom Rothe, who returned to action against Freiburg. András Schäfer is still sitting out a red-card suspension. Serbia international Andrej Ilić is likely to start in the centre of attack, with Tim Starke, Oliver Burke, Livan Burcu and Ilyas Ansah rotating alongside him.

However, the strikers’ goal-scoring record is a cause for concern for coach Baumgart. “We’re working hard to ensure we get our goals through the strikers. That’s why I’m hoping the lads will keep a clear head and just get on with it,” said the coach. Midfielder Rani Khedira has scored as many goals as striker Ansah (both five), followed by defender Doekhi and forward Burke (both four).

Tactically, under Steffen Baumgart, Union remain exactly what everyone in Munich has been all too aware of: thoroughly awkward opponents. The Berliners consistently rely on a compact back three or back five, sit deep, keep things tight, and virtually shut down any space in the centre. Their game relies less on creativity than on discipline, physicality and clear processes: intense tackling, plenty of fouls and an uncompromising defensive style are part of their identity. On average, the Köpenick side have made the most tackles per game this Bundesliga season (106, level with Mainz), whilst FC Bayern have made the fewest (84).

When they have the ball, Union deliberately play it safe, instead looking to get it out wide quickly and making use of pinpoint crosses and second balls. Once they win back possession, the Irons switch play immediately, playing vertical, purposeful passes to their physically imposing strikers – an approach that requires little possession but can have maximum impact.

Check out these other facts on the clash with Union: