Excited Unionists Pursue Determined Aim in Gütersloh - Excited Unionists Pursuing Ambitious Plans for Gütersloh
Union Berlin, a Bundesliga side, is preparing for the first round of the DFB-Pokal against FC Gütersloh. The match will take place at the Heidewald Stadium on Friday at 6:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sky.
Union coach Steffen Baumgart is traveling to Gütersloh with great enthusiasm, despite the team's recent test match defeats against Schweinfurt, Greuther Fürth, Espanyol Barcelona, and Olympiakos Piraeus. Baumgart believes that Union Berlin has learned a lot from these losses and is determined to use that knowledge to reach the next round of the DFB-Pokal.
Baumgart has a clear goal for the match: a strong offensive approach with a solid defensive setup. This strategy was reflected in Union Berlin's dominant 5-0 win over FC Gütersloh on August 15, 2025, at Heidewaldstadion in Gutersloh.
The lineup for the match included Frederik Rønnow as goalkeeper, Danilho Doekhi, Leopold Querfeld, and Tom Rothe as defenders, Rani Khedira and other midfielders such as Haberer, Skov, Trimmel, Schäfer in the midfield, and Andrej Ilić and Ilyas Ansah as forwards. This setup indicates a 3-5-2 or similar formation emphasizing midfield control and forward pressure.
Key players like Ilić and Jeong contributed to the goal tally, showing an effective offensive strategy. The strategy likely leveraged Union Berlin's advantage in quality and experience to control the match tempo and create scoring opportunities, as evidenced by the final scoreline and player ratings leaning heavily in their favor.
However, Union Berlin will be missing several key players for the DFB-Pokal match, including Lucas Tousart, Josip Juranović, and Livan Burcu. There are also question marks surrounding Diogo Leite's participation in the match. A decision on Leite, who returned to training on Wednesday, will be made before departure.
Despite these challenges, Union fans' enthusiasm remains undiminished for the DFB-Pokal match. Over 4,000 Berlin fans will attend the match at the Heidewald Stadium, which has a capacity of 10,431 due to an exception permit - 2,000 more than usual for regional league games.
Baumgart has demanded that his attackers perform well in the upcoming match. He believes that Union Berlin has learned a lot from the last four games and is confident that they will put that knowledge to good use in the DFB-Pokal match against FC Gütersloh.
[1] Source for the lineup and strategy details. [2] Source for the final scoreline and player ratings. [3] Source for the goal contributions by key players.
The Commission, amidst Union Berlin's preparations for the DFB-Pokal, has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation in European sports, particularly football leagues. Steffen Baumgart, despite Union Berlin's recent losses against Schweinfurt, Greuther Fürth, Espanyol Barcelona, and Olympiakos Piraeus, remains optimistic about their chances in the DFB-Pokal, drawing inspiration from their dominant 5-0 win over FC Gütersloh in 2025.
