Preview: Union Berlin vs. Hertha Berlin - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides have been thrown straight into the deep end with a huge derby clash on the opening weekend of the 2022-23 season.

Match preview

Union Berlin won both derby matches against Hertha last season, as they achieved their highest ever finish of 5th in the Bundesliga.

Indeed, Urs Fischer's side were only one point away from securing Champions League football for the first time, but Die Eisemen's fans will still be delighted with a Europa League campaign to look forward to having competed in the Europa Conference League last season.

Fischer's side showed their usual grit by beating Chemnitzer 2-1 after extra-time in the DFB-Pokal first round on Monday, with Kevin Behrens bagging a late winner after Theoson Siebatcheu had levelled the proceedings with a debut goal for the club.

There are big expectations on the 26-year-old's shoulders after his move from Young Boys, especially with there being a clear goalscoring void to fill following the sale of Taiwo Awoniyi to Premier League side Nottingham Forest.

Having already opened his account for the club, Siebatcheu would dearly love a debut Bundesliga goal against his new club's fiercest rivals on Saturday.

It has been an incredibly tough couple of seasons for Hertha, with two relegation battles coinciding with the pain of having to watch their traditionally less successful city rivals enjoy the best two seasons of their entire history.

Die Alte Dame only survived relegation via a play-off against Hamburger SV last season, with defenders Dedryck Boyata and Marvin Plattenhardt coming to the rescue after the second tier side had secured a 1-0 win away from home in the first leg.

Still, Hertha are set to embark on a new era under former Mainz 05 and Dynamo Moscow boss Sandro Schwarz, although the 43-year-old's first competitive match did not exactly go to plan last weekend.

His side squandered a two-goal lead away to second tier side Eintracht Braunschweig, who displayed remarkable resilience to equalise once again in the 118th minute after the game had gone to extra-time.

With the score tied at 4-4 after a topsy-turvy encounter, it was the hosts who held their nerve in the penalty shoot-out, scoring six of their seven penalties to progress to the DFB-Pokal second round.

Schwarz's side's lack of defensive stability does not bode well ahead of Saturday's trip to their rivals, even if he will be pleased with the fluidity in their attack.

Union Berlin form (all competitions):

Hertha Berlin form (all competitions):

Team News

Union Berlin will be without Timo Baumgartl after the defender had a testicular tumour removed in May.

Morten Thorsby has joined the club from Sampdoria for around £2.5m, but the midfielder was not involved against Chemnitzer on Monday and is unlikely to start a game of such magnitude at the weekend.

Janik Haberer filled the void of Grischa Promel in midfield after the latter's departure to Hoffenheim, so he and Siebatcheu look certainties to make their first Bundesliga start in what is likely to be an unchanged side named by Fischer.

Hertha, meanwhile, will be without key forward Marco Richter, but the 24-year-old returned to training on Monday having recovered from testicular cancer.

New signing Jessic Ngankam will have to wait to make his debut due to a knee injury, while Kelian Nsona and Lee Dong-Jun are ruled out on the same grounds.

Ivan Sunjic and Jonjoe Kenny made their first competitive starts for the club in the defeat to Braunschweig, and look set for their Bundesliga debuts for Hertha here, with Schwartz unlikely to make any changes from his side's cup match either.

Midfielder Lucas Tousart, who scored from the bench on Sunday, must serve a one-match suspension carried over from last term.

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

Ronnow; Jaeckel, Knoche, Heintz; Trimmel, Haraguchi, Khedira, Haberer, Grießelmann; Becker, Siebatcheu

Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:

Christensen; Kenny, Boyata, Kempf, Plattenhardt; Boateng, Sunjic, Serdar; Lukebakio, Selke, Maolida

We say: Union Berlin 2-1 Hertha Berlin

Hertha could hardly have asked for a tougher test in Schwarz's first Bundesliga game in charge, and we expect the more settled hosts to secure a derby victory.

The visitors looked wide open against a team one division below them in their cup defeat last weekend, with Union Berlin perfectly poised to hurt them in transition.

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