Bochum vs. Union Berlin preview: Desperate hosts looking to boost survival hopes | OneFootball

Bochum

Bochum are languishing at the bottom of the table after winning 13, drawing six and losing 11 of their 30 league matches this season. They have failed to add to their 25-point tally since recording a memorable 3-2 away victory over Bayern Munich on March 8. Rather than build upon that win, Bochum have gone on to lose five consecutive matches, including a narrow 1-0 defeat in last Saturday’s away clash against Werder Bremen.

As a result of their poor form, Dieter Hecking’s side are sitting five points adrift of Heidenheim in the relegation playoff spot and 10 points away from safety altogether. They will have to produce a strong set of results in their final four games against Union, Heidenheim, Mainz and St. Pauli if they are to have any hopes of preserving their top-flight status.

They can at least take confidence from the fact they have won four of their previous five Bundesliga meetings with Union, including a 2-0 away win in December’s reverse fixture. They will also have fond memories of their most recent home clash against die Eisernen in December 2023 when they cruised to a 3-0 victory.

Team News

Bochum are unable to call upon the injured Koji Miyoshi, while Ibrahima Sissoko is suspended after being sent off against Bremen last weekend.

Union Berlin

In contrast to their hosts, Union will head into Sunday’s fixture in a positive mood after putting together a six-game unbeaten run, which began with a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on March 9. After holding Bayern Munich to a draw, Union went on to claim back-to-back victories against Freiburg and Wolfsburg, before playing out a goalless affair in their away meeting with Bayer Leverkusen.

Steffen Baumgart’s side extended their unbeaten streak with an exhilarating 4-4 draw against Stuttgart last weekend, with all eight goals arriving in an unforgettable first half at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. Union gave up a two-goal lead, before they restored their advantage through Leopold Querfeld. Stuttgart turned the half in their favour with two quickfire efforts, but Andrej Ilić produced a swift equaliser to score what proved to be the final goal of the game.

Union are on the brink of extending their top-flight stay into a seventh consecutive season, having established a 10-point gap to the bottom three with four games left to play against Bochum, Werder Bremen, Heidenheim and Augsburg. Die Eisernen will look to start that run of fixtures by claiming their first win over Bochum since May 2022. They may fancy their chances of doing just that, considering they have won three of their previous five away matches (D1, L1).

Team News

The visitors without the services of Jeong Woo-yeong, Josip Juranović, Aljoscha Kemlein, Jérôme Roussillon and Robert Skov due to injury.