Union Berlin vs Darmstadt

Stadion An der Alten Försterei is the venue as Union Berlin and Darmstadt go head-to-head in a bottom-half Bundesliga six-pointer.

Union Berlin maintained their mini-revival under new manager Nenad Bjelica with a hard-earned 1-1 draw against Freiburg at the turn of the new calendar year before slipping to a 1-0 defeat in a rescheduled fixture away to perennial champions Bayern Munich. Bjelica’s evenly-balanced Bundesliga record in charge of ‘Die Eisernen’ (W2, D1, L2) has breathed some air into the Berlin outfit’s fight against the drop, steering them two points clear of the dreaded relegation playoff spot. Back to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, where they’ve won their last two league outings by a two-goal margin, Bjelica’s men face a presentable opportunity to make it three home wins on the trot for the first time this season. Union Berlin dismantled promoted Darmstadt 4-1 in the reverse fixture and have never lost a home league H2H (W1, D2).

Darmstadt’s dismal league record in the capital doesn’t make for good reading, especially as the visitors bid to get into the win column for the first time in 2024. Indeed, after a 3-0 demolition to Borussia Dortmund at home, they fought back from a two-goal deficit to hold Eintracht Frankfurt to a goal-glutted 2-2 home draw last time out. However, nailed to the bottom of the table after only winning twice in the first 18 Bundesliga rounds (D5, L11), the visitors need a win here to bolster their survival hopes. With only three points separating them from safety, there’s plenty of time for ‘Die Lilien’ to climb the ladder. But they’ve found points hard to come by on the road, avoiding defeat in only three of their eight away league games this season (W1, D2, L5).