Defender Leonardo Bonucci is about to make his league debut for Union Berlin Photo: picture alliance/dpa
From BZ/dpa
After the 0-1 defeat at Real Madrid in the Champions League, Union Berlin continues in the Bundesliga on Saturday (3:30 p.m./Sky) against TSG Hoffenheim in the Alten Försterei stadium.
Five facts before the game:
► Union Berlin is threatening to set a negative record. There were last four defeats in a row between March and May 2020. Back then against Leverkusen, Freiburg, Bayern and city rivals Hertha.
► Union has only suffered two Bundesliga home defeats in a row once – in the inaugural season in 2019 against Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt (1:2 each). There were three league defeats in February 2022 against Augsburg, Dortmund and Bielefeld.
► TSG Hoffenheim was only able to win one of the four games in the Alten Försterei stadium. Also in 2019 there was a 2-0 win for Kraichgauer. After that there was a draw and two Union victories.
► Union’s promotion hero Grischa Prömel could appear in a Bundesliga game at the An der Alten Försterei stadium for the first time since moving to Hoffenheim in the summer of 2022. The midfielder missed the meeting in January 2023 (3-1 for Union) due to a broken ankle.
Grischa Prömel could play in the Alte Försterei for the first time since moving to Hoffenheim – but then in different colors than in this archive photo Photo: City Press
► In Robin Knoche, Union is missing a real long-running favorite. The defense chief has played an incredible 103 out of 106 possible Bundesliga games since his move from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2020. For him, Leonardo Bonucci could celebrate his league debut for the Iron.