Borussia Dortmund could be dragged into league play again BundesligaA loss to hosts Union Berlin at the Stadion an der Alten Forsterei on Saturday will seal the race for the top four.

Union are in 9th place with 24 points, while second-placed BVB head into the match with 39 points. Defeated St. Pauli 3-2 on January 17th.However, the difference with RB Leipzig in 5th place is only 7 points.

Match preview

The host team managed to maintain 4th place January 18th: Stuttgart ends up in a 1-1 stalemate.however, they only kept one clean sheet in eight games.

Union extended their winning streak to five games with the draw in the previous game, but it was their third straight stalemate, and considering they are already five points behind sixth in the conference league, dropping points could be damaging.

Die Eiselnen have relied on equalizing goals in the final 10 minutes of their last three games, scoring the fewest goals (24) of any team in the top 10.

Coach Steffen Baumgart will be pleased that his team has scored in their last nine Bundesliga games, but they have scored just one goal in six of those games.

Union’s record at the Stadion an der Alten Forsterei is far from perfect, considering they have won just once in their last six matches at the ground, losing two of them.

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After initially trailing 2-0 against St. Pauli, Dortmund called for a penalty in the 96th minute to take the three points. Conceded 2 goals in the 0-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur Champions League on Tuesday.

Niko Kovac will point out that Daniil Svensson was sent off in the first half against Spurs, and despite Spurs’ poor performance, it will always be a tough battle against Londoners who play with 10 men.

Perhaps visiting fans should feel confident considering the team has taken the lead in 16 of 18 league games. This is the best in the division.

BVB won 3-0 in a come-from-behind match against Union. In August 2025, the match marked the fifth win in six matches against the host nation.

The Black and Yellows have won seven and drawn four of their last 11 Bundesliga games and have scored exactly three goals in each of their last three top-flight games.

Dortmund have struggled on the road, winning five of their last six away games, but only losing two of those.

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

team news

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Union wing-back Derrick Corne is suspended after being sent off against Augsburg on January 15, while fellow wing-back Tom Rothe is undergoing treatment.

Christopher Trimmel and Josip Juranovic will likely be placed on either side of centre-backs Danilo Doek, Leopold Kjellfeld and Diogo Leite.

Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer was ruled out due to injury, but the visitors are otherwise healthy.

Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmeka will be paired in the team’s double pivot and will be asked to protect the back three of Waldemar Anton, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck.

Center forward Selhou Guirassi will be supported by forwards Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt.

Union Berlin’s expected starting lineup:

Ronau; Doek, Kelfeld, Leite. Trimmel, Khedira, Kemlein, Juranovic. Mr. Chong. Answer Ilitch

Expected starting lineup for Borussia Dortmund:

Corbel. Anton, Kang, and Schlotterbeck. Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmeka, Svensson. Adeyemi, Brandt. Girashi

We say: Union Berlin 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing in Europe and perhaps their firepower up front will carry them to victory.

Union will be hoping to capitalize on BVB’s poor performance away from home, but their own performance at the Stadion an der Alten Forsterei was below par and it may be difficult to get anything out of Saturday’s match.

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