FC Union Berlin vs FC Cologne Preview

The German Bundesliga resumes this Friday as Union Berlin host FC Cologne in the first fixture of the 28th round of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season.

The hosts return to action after a two week absence from competitive action and will be desperate to get back to winning ways this Friday when they welcome Cologne to the Stadion an der Alten Försterei in the capital.

After starting the season brightly, Union Berlin have endured a terrible run of form in recent times winning just one of their last five Bundesliga games while losing three times.

Their drop in form has seen their quest for a top-four finish disappear as they come into this tie sitting in ninth place, a distant seven points behind the top four.

Urs Fischer’s side can still clinch a top-six spot given that they are currently just six points behind Hoffenheim who are sitting in sixth position with nine more league games left to play.

Their chances of doing so hinges on their result in this game. To get a good result here they must improve on their recent performances and sharpen an attack that has averaged just one goal a game over the last ten games. They must also improve on a back-line that has not kept a clean sheet in 12 competitive games.

Meanwhile, Cologne will look to make it three games unbeaten in the Bundesliga when they travel to the capital this Friday.

The ‘Billy Goats’ are one of the surprise packages of the season given their placement on the table after 27 rounds of games.

For a team that finished in 16th place last season and are only playing in the top division after winning their relegation playoffs, Cologne have come a long way and are gunning for a historic place in Europe next season.

They come into this round of games sitting just five points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig. A win in this game will take them to fifth place ahead of Hoffenheim who play later in the weekend.

With eight rounds of games still to play in the league this season, Steffen Baumgart’s men will feel that they can make history by qualifying for a place in Europe this season. A good result in this game against a Union Berlin side they haven’t beaten in their last seven tries will be a good place to start ahead of the season’s run-in.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the German Bundesliga:

German Bundesliga Table