"Stay calm and confident" as BVB face Union on Saturday | OneFootball

Matchday 24 of the Bundesliga will see Borussia Dortmund visit Union Berlin. Kick-off in the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is scheduled for 15:30 CET on Saturday.

BVB's two most recent games against Union Berlin were both at home: the Black & Yellows won 2-1 in the second half of the 2022-23 season and 4-2 in the reverse fixture this season. Now Borussia return to the east of Berlin, where they have previously come away victorious in just one of four games. The home side switched coaches in November, with Nenad Bjelica stepping in to replace Urs Fischer. Since taking over, the new manager has notched up five wins, three draws and three defeats in eleven Bundesliga games. Union are currently 14th in the league table.

The injured duo of Niklas Süle and Mats Hummels, who only made a brief appearance last weekend, have been able to train all week and are ready for action again. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel also had to take a spell on the sidelines recently and is unlikely to play in the Union game. "We assume that he will be available again next week against Bremen," said BVB coach Edin Terzic. Felix Nmecha returned to team training on Wednesday after a break of several months due to hip problems, but he will have to slowly get himself back up to match fitness. Sebastien Haller, who is completing his rehab, is also not an option for the matchday squad. Donyell Malen will also not be travelling to the capital due to a yellow-card suspension. "We would have preferred to have him in the squad, considering his goal tally this year. He's in really good form," said Terzic, who named Karim Adeyemi, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julien Duranville as alternatives in the wing positions.

Malen has scored four goals in the last four games, including one last Sunday against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The 3-2 defeat at home was BVB's first defeat in eight games this year. The Black & Yellows had previously played out two consecutive 1-1 draws in Wolfsburg and Eindhoven. "We weren't happy with the games against Wolfsburg, PSV and Hoffenheim. We turned the game around against Hoffenheim, but then dropped down a gear. We don't want that. We want to generate momentum. We discussed that again this week and we want to do better at the weekend," said the BVB coach. The first defeat of the year "was our own fault. Now it's about getting the next wins ourselves by keeping a clear head with the things we analyse, staying sharp in the things we train and staying calm and confident in the things we do," explained Terzic.Christina Reinke

BVB-TV by 1&1: the press conference before the game against Union Berlin

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