Union Berlin vs Cologne
Bundesliga
Wednesday
20th December 2023
An der Alten Forsterei
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the Bundesliga fixture between Union Berlin and Cologne.
Union Berlin vs Cologne: Preview
Union Berlin form analysis
Berlin’s sensational previous season form has stalled recently amidst a challenging run of games. On November 4th, high-flying Union suffered a shock 3-0 thrashing at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, ruthlessly exposed by Omar Marmoush’s brace inside the opening 15 minutes. Hoping to respond, a trip to misfiring Bayer Leverkusen followed on November 12th but brought more misery as Union were soundly beaten 4-0 in another humbling result. Seeking a drastic response, Union returned home to face relegation candidates Augsburg on November 25th and had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Kevin Volland’s late equalizer canceled out Ermedin Demirovic’s contentiously awarded opener.
Some redemption came on December 9th as Union bounced back to winning ways, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 at home to restore confidence. However, inconsistency plagued Urs Fischer’s men again last Friday as they fell 3-0 away to struggling Bochum to slip off the Champions League places. Recapturing the defensive solidarity and clinical edge that fueled their last season rise will now be critical for Union to get back on track.
Cologne form analysis
FC Cologne’s recent form in the Bundesliga has been inconsistent, with two draws, two losses, and no wins in their last four matches. On November 11th, they drew 1-1 away at Bochum after conceding first to L. Daschner in the 25th minute. Cologne equalized through striker D. Selke in the 54th minute. Their next match on November 25th resulted in a 0-1 home loss to the mighty Bayern Munich, with H. Kane scoring the winner for Bayern in the 20th minute. Cologne were unable to respond and find an equalizer. Their next match away at Darmstadt on December 2nd saw an improved performance as Selke scored in the 60th minute to give Cologne a 0-1 victory.
However, their positive form was short-lived as they drew 0-0 at home against Mainz in their next match on December 10th, failing to capitalize on several chances throughout the game. Most recently on December 17th, Cologne lost 0-2 away at high-flying Freiburg, conceding goals from M. Gregoritsch in the 72nd minute and R. Sallai in stoppage time. The sending off of defender J. Chabot in the 62nd minute proved costly. Overall, Cologne have struggled for wins of late but shown capability of grinding out results. Converting more of their chances into goals seems to be their biggest area for improvement.
