Union Berlin vs FC Cologne Preview: Team News & Prediction

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Union Berlin can break out of the automatic relegation places and above FC Cologne with victory here.

Kick-off date/time: 1 November 2026 at 2:30 pm

How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – Not televised / USA – ESPN+

Union Berlin preview: Much improved

After a really bad start to the campaign, Union Berlin have been much improved since their 7-0 mauling at the hands of Bayern Munich. The main reason is that they've tightened up significantly at the back. Mauro Lustrinelli has got a tune out of his defence, which has conceded just once in the last three games. Those three matches have brought Union five points, after beating SV Elversberg 1-0 before registering extremely creditable draws, first against Borussia Dortmund and then away at Augsburg.

Scoring goals remains an issue, though. Union have managed just six so far, with only Schalke scoring fewer across the Bundesliga. Lustrinelli will hope his attack can start to match the improvements at the other end.

FC Cologne preview: Struggling for goals

Union Berlin aren't the only team struggling for goals, as FC Cologne are also having difficulty putting the ball in the back of the net. They've been shut out in back-to-back league games, first in a 1-0 defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt and then in a drab goalless draw against Schalke last weekend.

The visitors currently sit 14th on eight points. That's just two more than Union Berlin and, most importantly, two clear of the dreaded bottom three. Victory here would see Cologne pull away from the danger zone, but defeat could drop them into the bottom three, depending on Eintracht Frankfurt's result later in the afternoon.

Union Berlin team news: Uduokhai banned

Suspension rules out Uduokhai for Union Berlin, while Andrej Ilic, Andrik Markgraf, Stanley Nsoki and Robert Skov are all missing through injury.

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ronnow; Haberer, Van den Bosch, Querfeld, Kohn; Schafer, Khedira; Skarke, Aebischer, Burcu; Lathe Lath

Unavailable: Ilic (Injured), Markgraf (Injured), Nsoki (Injured), Skov (Injured), Uduokhai (Suspended)

Questionable: 

FC Cologne team news: Numerous injuries

FC Cologne will be without a number of players for the trip to the German capital, with Ragnar Ache, Timo Hubers and Sepp Van den Berg all out, along with Dallinga, Rondic and Skhiri.

Predicted XI (4-4-2): Schwabe; Castro-Montes, Schmied, Simpson-Pusey, Sosa; Maina, Krauss, Okon-Engstler, Moore; Bulter, S. El Mala

Unavailable: Ache (Injured), Dallinga (Injured), Hubers (Injured), Rondic (Injured), Skhiri (Injured), Van den Berg (Injured)

Questionable: 

Key stats

• Union Berlin have won eight of their 12 Bundesliga meetings with FC Cologne (D3 L1); Cologne's only win was 3-2 at home on 11 May 2024. 
• FC Cologne have never won in six Bundesliga visits to Union (W4 D2 for Union), and Union have kept clean sheets in four of those six home meetings, conceding only three goals. 
• Union won the first four Bundesliga meetings between the sides (2019/20 and 2020/21) and are unbeaten in the last two (1-0 in Cologne and 2-2 at home last season). 
• Union are 17th with six points coming into Matchweek 8, having scored six and conceded 18 (including 0-7 at Bayern) – joint-fewest goals scored and most conceded after seven games in their eight Bundesliga seasons since 2019/20. 
• Union are unbeaten in three (W1 D2) and have kept clean sheets in their last two home games (1-0 against Elversberg and 0-0 against Dortmund). 
• Union's home record this season is W1 D2 L1, while they are winless in three away games. 
• FC Cologne are 12th with eight points, unbeaten at home (W2 D2) but beaten in all three away games (2-7 on aggregate). 
• FC Cologne are winless in 16 Bundesliga away games (D6 L10) since a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim on 3 October 2025 – one short of their longest away winless run since 1995/96 (17 in 2003/04). 
• FC Cologne have lost their last four away games and have failed to score in their last two matches (0-1 at Frankfurt and 0-0 against Schalke). 
• FC Cologne have won only 13 of their 69 Bundesliga away games on a Sunday since 1995/96 (D23 L33). 

‘Key stats’ are Bundesliga only (not all competitions)

Union Berlin vs FC Cologne prediction

This is a significant encounter at the bottom end of the Bundesliga table, with big ramifications for both teams. Winning is more important to Union Berlin, who have home advantage but currently sit in the automatic relegation places. Defeat would be a disaster for Lustrinelli's men, so they can't afford to play too openly.

It's also difficult to ignore the struggles both sides have had in front of goal. FC Cologne have drawn a blank in each of their last two league games, while Union have found goals hard to come by all season. With Union having tightened up at the back too, backing under 2.5 goals between the pair looks worthwhile.

Union Berlin vs FC Cologne tip: Under 2.5 goals