Previewing the Bundesliga - Part 2/18: 1. FC Union Berlin

All information accurate as of August 10^th, 2026.

Club Name: 1. FC Union Berlin

Founded: 1966 (origins trace back to 1906)

Stadium: Stadion An der Alten Försterei - 22,012 capacity

Nickname: Die Eisernen (The Irons)

Titles: No major titles, DFB-Pokal runners-up x1

Head Coach: Mauro Lustrinelli

Captain: Christopher Trimmel

Mascot: Ritter Keule (a knight in iron armor)

Goal Song: None – Club prioritises fan atmosphere

2025/26 Season: 11^th

Opening Fixture: Eintracht Frankfurt (H)

Mauro Lustrinelli, a former Swiss international, arrives at Union for this season having guided FC Thun to their first ever Swiss Super League title as a newly promoted side. No doubt that this was an incredible feat, but Lustrinelli still has to prove that he has the chops to manage in an elite European league.

Last season, Union began with Steffen Baumgart, seen as more of a stereotypical “old-head” that relied more on man management than tactics. By April, the board were left unconvinced despite a decent enough league position (11^th), and asked Marie-Louise Eta to see out the remaining games. In doing so, she became the first woman to ever coach, and win, in one of the top five men’s leagues in Europe.

Lustrinelli’s Thun side were a strong pressing unit, preferring to suffocate opponents and keep them as far away from Union’s goal as possible. Furthermore, he doesn’t mind creating chaos in midfield as long as he has battle-hardened midfielders that he can trust to dominate in duels and cover significant ground when recovering from losing possession.

I broke down what to expect from Lustrinelli’s side in a previous edition of The Bundesliga Chronicles, so if you want more detail, check it out here.

Replacing departing defenders was Union’s priority this summer, and they moved early to ensure they were prepared for pre-season. As soon as starting centre-backs Danilho Doekhi and Diogo Leite were out the door, Zeno van den Bosch and Marvin Friedrich had arrived. Stanley Nsoki soon joined for €1.5million from Hoffenheim to bolster their options. However, van den Bosch is almost certain to be the starter alongside Leopold Querfeld.

Elsewhere, striker Emmanuel Latte Lath has joined on loan from MLS side Atlanta FC. Despite a reliable record in his last European campaign with Middlesbrough, Latte Lath has struggled for goals in MLS which does not provide me with a lot of confidence that he will be the answer that Lustrinelli needs.

Their only sale so far is that of László Bénes, the 28-year-old Slovakian midfielder, to KAA Gent for €1.1million. He had been on loan at Kayserispor the previous season and was evidently not in the club’s plans.

Reinforcements are still needed on the wings, with Livan Burcu and Robert Skov the only solid options at the moment. Oliver Burke can fill in on the right-hand side, but I would expect him to be deployed as a striker in Lustrinelli’s system due to his pressing capabilities.

Leopold Querfeld has a huge season ahead of him. The 22-year-old Austrian impressed in the heart of defence last season, but had two more experienced players alongside him at the time. With a re-jig of the backline, Querfeld will have to step up and lead to make sure that the team gets over the line in tight games.

He was Union’s joint-top scorer last season with seven goals, being a significant threat from set-pieces but also a capable penalty taker. Other players will have to step up to get goals this season, as relying on your centre-back is not a sustainable tactical model, but I’m sure he will continue to chip in.

With a market value of €20million, he’s the sort of talent that Union will be happy to continue developing until the right offer comes along.

Captain Christopher Trimmel is now 39, and with his contract expiring next summer, I expect that he will continue to only feature as a bit-part player this season. This leaves Josip Juranović as the starting right-back.

Elsewhere, not many changes from last season appear to be on the horizon. The main tweak is that Lustrinelli is a proponent of the 4-4-2, and uses it as more of a 2-4-4 out of possession. This is a significant shift from last season where Union mostly opted for the 3-4-3, occasionally reverting to the 4-2-3-1 if the occasion suited them.

8^th. I would add that I’m being quite generous and that this is the best case scenario. The ceiling of their squad’s ability is very apparent, but they are lucky to have picked up a manager that suits the current tactical trends so well, and I believe that he will get the results needed to continue Union’s improvement after a tumultuous couple of seasons. If Lustrinelli can get them competing for Europe, let alone succeeding in qualifying them, then it will be a huge success.

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