Preview:Union Berlin vs Hamburger SV - prediction, team news, lineups

Union Berlin will hope to pick up their third win of the 2025-26 Bundesliga season on Sunday when they face visitors Hamburger SV at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.

After they triumphed 4-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 21, Union are in 10th place with six points, whereas their opponents are in 15th place with four points following their 2-1 win against Heidenheim on September 20.

Match preview

Union took a 4-1 lead when they netted their final goal in the 56th minute against Eintracht Frankfurt, but two Adler goals in the closing 10 minutes made the game unnecessarily tense.

Boss Steffen Baumgart will hope that his side's clash on Sunday is less frantic than in recent weeks given their last eight league games have produced at least three goals.

No team in the Bundesliga has conceded more after the half-time interval (seven), and while the club netted six times in their two most recent outings, they also conceded on seven occasions.

Die Eisernen's win last time out was their first in three matches, with the team suffering two defeats in that period.

Union have won one and lost one of their two fixtures at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in 2025-26, and they were beaten in six and held to stalemates in six of their last 14 at home in 2024-25.

Hamburger faced a number of high-quality efforts against Heidenheim, with their opponents generating nearly three xG, though they produced 2.5 xG themselves.

The visitors faced the most shots in the first four Bundesliga matchweeks (75), and they have conceded the joint most goals before half time (five).

Die Rothosen faced Union twice in the 2018-19 season in the 2. Bundesliga - their only previous clashes - and they drew 2-2 at home in November 2018 but lost 2-0 at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in April 2019.

Head coach Merlin Polzin has only overseen one win in regulation time in his side's five matches this term, losing twice and conceding eight in their past three.

Hamburger's only victory in their three away games this campaign was a 2-1 triumph against Pirmasens in the DFB-Pokal on August 16, though their only defeat on their travels was against champions Bayern Munich on September 13.

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

Union Berlin form (all competitions):

Hamburger SV Bundesliga form:

Hamburger SV form (all competitions):

Team News

Union only have two confirmed absentees, with winger Livan Burcu (ankle) and defender Stanley N'Soki (thigh) set to miss out.

In the backline, Danilho Doekhi, Leopold Querfeld and Diogo Leite are likely to play together.

Centre-forward Andrej Ilic could be supported by an attacking duo featuring Oliver Burke and Ilyas Ansah.

Hamburger have doubts about the fitness of striker Yussuf Poulsen, and if he is unable to start, expect Ransford Yeboah Konigsdorffer to lead his side's forward line.

Fabio Vieira and Nicolai Remberg are candidates to be stationed in a double pivot ahead of defenders Warmed Omari, Luka Vuskovic and Daniel Elfadli.

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

Ronnow; Doekhi, Querfeld, Leite; Trimmel, Khedira, Haberer, Kohn; Burke, Ilic, Ansah

Hamburger SV possible starting lineup:

Fernandes; Omari, Vuskovic, Elfadli; Gocholeishvili, Vieira, Remberg, Muheim; Philippe, Konigsdorffer, Dompe