Preview: Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

Borussia Dortmund could be dragged back into the Bundesliga's top-four race if they lose against hosts Union Berlin on Saturday at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.

Union are ninth with 24 points, whereas second-placed BVB head into the clash with 39 points having beaten St Pauli 3-2 on January 17, though they are only seven points ahead of fifth-placed RB Leipzig.

Match preview

The hosts managed to hold fourth-placed Stuttgart to a 1-1 stalemate on January 18, though they have only kept one clean sheet in eight matches.

Union extended their unbeaten streak to five games with their draw last time out, but that was their third consecutive stalemate, and dropping further points could be damaging given the gap to the sixth-placed Conference League spot is already five points.

Die Eisernen have relied on equalisers in the last 10 minutes of their three most recent outings, and they have scored the fewest goals of any team in the top 10 (24).

While head coach Steffen Baumgart will be pleased that his side have scored in each of their past nine Bundesliga fixtures, they only netted one goal in six of those games.

Union's record at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei has been far from perfect given they have only emerged as victors once in their last six clashes at the ground, a period in which they suffered two defeats.

Dortmund required a 96th-minute penalty to claim three points against St Pauli after initially squandering a 2-0 lead, and they also conceded twice when the lost 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Niko Kovac will point out that Daniel Svensson was sent off in the first half against Spurs, and that while they performed poorly, it was always going to be an uphill battle against the Londoners with 10 men.

Perhaps visiting fans should be confident given their side have managed to open the scoring in 16 of their 18 league matches, a division high.

BVB comfortably won 3-0 in the reverse fixture against Union in August 2025, with that match their fifth success in six contests against their hosts.

Black and Yellow have won seven and drawn four of their 11 most recent Bundesliga matches, and they have scored exactly three goals in each their last three top-flight outings.

Dortmund have struggled on the road, with the club having failed to triumph in five of their last six away games, though they were only beaten twice in that time.

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Team News

Union wing-back Derrick Kohn was sent off against Augsburg on January 15 and is suspended, while fellow wing-back Tom Rothe is on the treatment table.

Perhaps Christopher Trimmel and Josip Juranovic will be stationed either side of centre-backs Danilho Doekhi, Leopold Querfeld and Diogo Leite.

Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out due to injury, but the visitors' squad is otherwise healthy.

Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha are likely to be paired together in their team's double pivot, and they will be asked to protect a back three of Waldemar Anton, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck.

Centre-forward Serhou Guirassy is set to be supported by forwards Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt.

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

Ronnow; Doekhi, Querfeld, Leite; Trimmel, Khedira, Kemlein, Juranovic; Jeong; Ilic, Ansah

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anton, Can, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Adeyemi, Brandt; Guirassy

We say: Union Berlin 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund will be keen to bounce back after their disappointing display in Europe, and perhaps their firepower up front will lead them to victory.

Union will look to take advantage of BVB's poor record away from home, but their own performances at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei have been subpar, and they may find it difficult to take anything from Saturday's game.

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