Facts on the game against Union Berlin: Why the first goal is so important | OneFootball

The scenario: The fourth-placed team from last season will face the 13th. Union have lost eight of their 12 Bundesliga games against Borussia. The Berlin outfit have not suffered more defeats to any other opponent.

Home/away: Borussia Dortmund were the second-best home team of last season, with 11 wins, three draws and three defeats. They won each of their last four matches at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, always scoring at least three goals in the process. Union Berlin only finished in 13th place in the away table but are unbeaten in five away games and could – if you count across seasons – equal the club record. Their most recent away defeat was by a 6-0 scoreline on 22 February 2025...in Dortmund.

Head-to-head record: The two teams are facing each other competitively for the 15th time. BVB won both cup ties on home turf prior to Union's Bundesliga promotion, though only after extra-time (2018/19) and a penalty shootout (2016/17); in the league, BVB have recorded six home wins (5-0, 2-0, 4-2, 1-0, 4-2 and 6-0). There has never been a draw in this fixture. BVB have not played any other club so often without sharing the spoils. This match has always been won by the team that went 1-0 ahead – whether it was in Dortmund or in Berlin. Union Berlin picked up their first-ever Bundesliga victory against BVB (3-1 in August 2019) and also suffered the biggest defeat in their Bundesliga history against the Black & Yellows (6-0 in February 2025).

Style of play: The Berlin outfit were one of the hardest-running teams in 2024/25. They defended dead balls strongly, conceding only one headed goal from a set-piece situation. Going forward, the Köpenick team do not rely on powerful attacking play with lots of good chances. Last season, they had the lowest share of possession of any team. In their opening game against Stuttgart (2-1), Union registered only 32% possession.

Biggest home victory: On 22 February 2025, BVB needed a good 20 minutes to get going before taking a deserved 2-0 lead through a Diogo Leite own goal (25) and a Serhou Guirassy strike (40). They were also unlucky to be denied by the woodwork. In the final quarter of an hour, the floodgates opened. Guirassy bagged a hat-trick within the space of only eight minutes (75, 80 and 83), racking up four goals in a Bundesliga game for the first time ever. Maximilian Beier completed the 6-0 rout in the 89th minute of the match.