Union Berlin enter the home meeting with SV Elversberg under early pressure after conceding 17 goals in four Bundesliga matches, an all-time record at this stage of a season.
- Oliver Burke has returned to team training after injury and could be available for the Elversberg matchday squad.
- Andrej Ilic is progressing towards a return. The centre-forward is training individually, including work on the pitch.
- Emmanuel Latte Lath remains a doubt. The Atlanta United signing left Tuesday’s open session with a problem but completed individual work on Wednesday.
- Union have scored four goals in four league games.
- Two of those goals came from corners. Only Werder Bremen have scored more from corners, with three.
What changes for the Bundesliga week
Mauro Lustrinelli’s side need a cleaner defensive display, but the numbers also point to an attacking problem. Union have created 18 chances, with only Hamburg and Paderborn producing fewer. Their 22.2 per cent conversion rate is also among the league’s lowest.
Union’s expected-goals total stands at 4.52, the third-lowest figure in the division. They have again scored fewer than their expected-goals return, continuing a pattern present in every season since 2023-24. Open-play production is especially thin: 1.68 xG in total, or 0.42 per match, is the lowest Bundesliga figure.
Set pieces offer the clearer route against Elversberg. Union’s 2.84 xG from dead-ball situations ranks fourth behind Freiburg, Mainz 05 and RB Leipzig. At the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, they also created eight chances against both Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3-3 draw and Schalke 04 in a 3-1 defeat.
Burke’s return gives Lustrinelli another forward option. Ilic’s recovery is advancing, while Latte Lath’s fitness will need checking before the squad is finalised.
