Preview: Battle of chasing pack in the capital | OneFootball

One point and one place separate Eintracht and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga table. Hunger for goals meets a steely defence at the Alten Försterei.

The backdrop

It’s back to Bundesliga business for Eintracht after their European exploits. Following the 1-0 win over RFS in the UEFA Europa League, the Eagles have an away assignment at 1. FC Union Berlin on Matchday 8. Kick-off is at 17:30 CET on Sunday 27 October.

Eintracht travel to the capital with 13 points on the board – and in free-scoring form. Fifteen goals represents the joint third-best total in the German top flight – together with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg – after Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. The main man in that respect has been Omar Marmoush, who’s netted in the last six Bundesliga games in a row – only club legends Anthony Yeboah and Bernd Hölzenbein previously achieved that. It’s nine goals in total for the Egyptian, a joint club record again shared with Yeboah, which the 25-year-old can now break.

However, Union’s defence is living up to the club’s nickname of Die Eisernen (‘The Iron Ones’). Having conceded just four times in the first seven games, Union boast the second-best rearguard in the league – only Leipzig have been more solid. With 14 points, Bo Svensson’s men have also registered the club’s second-best start to a Bundesliga campaign since promotion in 2019. The Köpenick side have won all three of their home encounters so far against St. Pauli, Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund.

“Union’s start to the season hasn’t surprised me; it’s more of a surprise that last season didn’t go as well,” praised Eintracht head coach Dino Toppmöller. “They’ve been in Europe in three of the last four seasons. They’re a team with tremendous quality. When I say that ‘Union are Union again’, that means: very good defensive solidity, aggression without the ball, extremely dangerous at set pieces – all the things that characterised them when they sensationally finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League.”

Götze on verge of milestone

Should Mario Götze feature for the Eagles in Berlin on Sunday evening, it would be the 32-year-old midfielder’s  300th Bundesliga appearance. “XY,” said Toppmöller about Götze at his pre-match press conference.

Since his Bundesliga debut in November 2009, only six current players have registered more goal involvements in the league than Götze (117) – one of them Kevin Volland (127), striker for Union Berlin. However, he’s still waiting for his first appearance of the season following knee surgery and returned to the squad for the first time in Union’s 2-0 win at Kiel last weekend.