Matchday 30 brings together two teams that have yet to find their rhythm in the second half of the season. For the Wolves, Saturday’s clash at 1. FC Union Berlin (kick-off 15:30 CEST) is about far more than just three points – after 12 games without a win, the aim is to end the negative run and send an important signal in the battle to stay up.
The key facts and figures
Guarantee of goals and home advantage: In all 16 competitive meetings between the two sides, there has always been at least one goal. The home team has lost only once – and that was quite some time ago: in the promotion round to the 2. Bundesliga on 7 June 1992, VfL won 2-1 at the Alte Försterei thanks to a brace from Siggi Reich. In the Bundesliga, the away side has never won – high time to change that.
A new chapter: Marie-Louise Eta is the first head coach in Bundesliga history. She took charge of the team following the departure of Steffen Baumgart. Prior to that, she had already worked as an assistant coach in the top flight under Nenad Bjelica and Marco Grote, when Union secured direct survival on the final matchday of the 2023/2024 season. At 34, Eta is the youngest coach and will face the most experienced one, Dieter Hecking (61), in her touchline debut.
Fast starters vs late bloomers: With eight goals in the opening 15 minutes – only Leverkusen (nine) have more – the Wolves are genuine fast starters. Union, on the other hand, tend to come on strong late in games this season, having scored 11 goals in the final 15 minutes. However, the Iron Ones are still well short of Bayern’s league-leading tally of 31 in this category.
The next milestone: VfL captain Maximilian Arnold is on the verge of making his 400th Bundesliga appearance. Among active players, only Manuel Neuer (544), Oliver Baumann (518) and Matthias Ginter (408) have reached that mark. However, none of them have made that number of appearances for a single club.
Youngster: Union Berlin’s Linus Güther became the second-youngest player in Bundesliga history when he came on as a substitute in Heidenheim last weekend at the age of 16 years and three days – only Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko was two days younger on his debut.
Low and high: The Iron Ones often leave possession to their opponents, averaging just 37.7 per cent – the lowest in the league. In terms of intensity, however, the capital club set the benchmark: with 107 duels per game, the Köpenick side lead the league.
