Union Berlin face their toughest task of the season this Friday with an away match at Bayern Munich. Manager Marco Grote's side travels to Bavaria on the back of two consecutive defeats and with just one point from their first three Bundesliga games.
The recent 1-3 home loss to FC Schalke 04 last Friday deepened the crisis. Union sit 16th in the table with a single point. The team has conceded seven goals in its last two outings, including a 4-0 thrashing at Bayer Leverkusen. Goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow and the defence led by Leandro Querfeld and Felix Uduokhai must improve significantly against a Bayern attack featuring Harry Kane.
The historical record offers little comfort. Union have failed to win any of their last five meetings with the record champions, most recently suffering a 4-0 defeat in Munich back in March. The starting lineup from the Schalke match, with players like Michel Aebischer and Rani Khedira in midfield, faces an immense test. Tim Skarke, the team's top scorer this season with two goals, will be one of the few sources of hope.
A glance at the standings shows the scale of the challenge. Union are already eight points behind the league leaders. After the Bayern fixture comes the international break, followed by a home match against fifth-placed RB Leipzig on November 21st. The full schedule is available on our fixtures page. For Union, the immediate goal at the Allianz Arena on Friday evening is to put in a respectable performance and avoid further damage.
