Bundesliga: BVB Seeking Better Days Under New Regime

Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund

At this point last year, defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich laid out the template of changing managers midway, and Borussia Dortmund are hopeful to replicate the same results this time around.

BVB recently sacked Lucien Favre after a disappointing 5-1 defeat versus VfB Stuttgart, as the newly-promoted squad simply had their way in scoring all evening.

Although they bounced back with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund have only won once in their last four.

They would need to find their form quickly if they want a shot of dethroning Bayern Munich since they’re only fourth in the Bundesliga standings with 22 points.

This weekend, they will take a trip to the Alte Forsterei Arena to face another tough team in Union Berlin.

Urs Fischer’s side is currently at sixth and are level with VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach. So a victory here would surely help them since they have yet to win in their last five games.

Today, SBOTOP takes a look at both of these teams to see how they would fare for this mouthwatering clash.

Talking Points

Union Berlin are having trouble closing out games

With a combination of luck and better play, Die Eisern would’ve been in a better position at the table already.

After losing against Hertha Berlin in the much-awaited Berlin Derby, Union Berlin notched back-to-back draws against Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart.

They had the Bavarian giants on the ropes for much of the evening when Grischa Promel scored in the fourth minute. However, Bayern Munich were bailed out by Robert Lewandowski’s equaliser in the 67^th minute.

One week later, the same theme haunted Urs Fischer’s men as they were close to winning once more.

Union Berlin got off to a fast start when Marvin Friedrich scored within the first five minutes, and then Taiwo Awoniyi doubled their lead with a header during the 77^th minute.

But fatigue set in during the last 10 minutes and Union Berlin squandered their advantage yet again as VfB Stuttgart ace forward Sasa Kalajdzic tallied back-to-back goals in the 85^th and 90^th minute to share the spoils.

Urs Fischer's men are currently sitting on the sixth spot in Bundesliga table — Urs Fischer during Union Berlin’s match against Bayern Munich

Union Berlin have been punching above their weight ever since they came back into the German top-flight last season.

But their improving Bundesliga 2020 results have put a target behind their backs, and being in a position of strength is something they have to deal with moving forward.

Edin Terzic’s coaching chops will be tested

Newly-minted manager Edin Terzic passed his first test when they secured their first win in over four games, but can they make it two straight this weekend?

With a roster full of promising young studs, BVB can surely do so. So now the onus is on Terzic to find the right combination in his lineup.

Erling Haaland remains out until New Year due to a nagging muscle injury, which simply means that guys like Gio Reyna, Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus, Thorgan Hazard, and Youssoufa Moukoko are all in line to play heavy minutes.

In this game, Jadon Sancho will be the x-factor for BVB. The pacey winger has yet to find his stride so far this season as he has only found the back of the net in two occasions.

Although Sancho has already five assists under his belt, Edin Terzic would need to shift him into more of an attacking role to try fill in the void left by Erling Haaland.

History

Since this is Union Berlin’s second straight season back in German top-flight, matches between them and Borussia Dortmund have only come few and far between.

In their five matches so far, BVB hold the edge with three wins while Union Berlin won once along with one draw.

These two sides last met on February to where Borussia Dortmund thrashed Union Berlin with Erling Haaland scoring a brace, while Axel Witsel, Jadon Sancho, and skipper Marco Reus scored one apiece.

Union Berlin’s only victory in this head-to-head matchup dates back to October 2016.