1. FC Union Berlin 2026/27 season preview: Transfers, pre-season, predicted lineup & predictions

Last season proved to be a fairly unspectacular one for Union in terms of results, with Steffen Baumgart eventually dismissed in April following a run of just two wins in 14 matches.

Then came the big storyline that dominated German football for some time, with Marie-Louise Eta taking charge for the remainder of the season and subsequently becoming the first woman to manage a men’s team in one of Europe’s top five leagues. After a winless opening three fixtures, Eta secured victories in her final two games to guide Union to an 11th-place finish.

Now Mauro Lustrinelli has been handed the keys to the vehicle, with the Swiss manager arriving in Berlin off the back of an exceptional season with FC Thun, guiding them to the first Swiss Super League title in the club’s history.

Pre-season proved something of a baptism of fire for Lustrinelli, with Union recording just two wins from their nine friendly matches as the new head coach looked to implement his ideas and identity on his squad.

Their two victories came against fifth-tier Rathenow, whom they defeated 12-2, and Cypriot side Aris Limassol, with Union running out 3-2 winners.

They suffered four defeats, against Carl Zeiss Jena (0-2), FC Aarau (1-2), Dynamo Dresden (1-2) and Ipswich Town (2-4). Draws against Cagliari, Winterthur and Chemnitzer FC made up the remainder of their pre-season results.

Before the Bundesliga got underway, German sides had the not-so-small matter of the DFB-Pokal to attend to, with Union beginning their cup campaign with a first-round victory away to Eintracht Braunschweig.

Lustrinelli’s men fell behind twice before Tom Rothe levelled at 2-2 in the second half, allowing Union to push on and secure a 4-2 victory thanks to a brace from Marin Ljubičić in the new head coach’s first competitive fixture in charge.

Starting with the departures, Union have lost their key central defensive pairing of Danilho Doekhi and Diogo Leite, both of whom left on free transfers. That will likely sting the club’s hierarchy even more given the importance of the duo to the side in recent seasons.

Alex Kral also departed on a free transfer, while László Bénes and Chris Bedia left on permanent deals. Further movement could be on the horizon, with forward Ilyas Ansah reportedly on the brink of a big-money move to the Premier League.

As expected, Union’s main priority was strengthening their defence. The club first exercised the €1.5 million purchase option for Stanley Nsoki, turning his loan into a permanent deal. Former defender Marvin Friedrich then returned to the club before Zeno Van Den Bosch arrived on a free transfer, with Felix Uduokhai subsequently joining from Besiktas for a reported six-figure fee.

Other arrivals include midfielder Michael Aebischer from Pisa and forward Emmanuel Latte Lath on loan from Atlanta United. Union are reportedly focusing much of their resources this summer on developing the club’s infrastructure, including work on the stadium, rather than making significant investments in the playing squad.

4-2-2-2: Raab; Juranović, Querfeld, Van Den Bosch, Rothe; Kemlein, Khedira; Jeong, Burcu; Latte Lath, Ljubičić

The centre-back pairing could see plenty of movement over the course of the season, with Friedrich, Nsoki and Uduokhai all providing Lustrinelli with further options.

It also remains to be seen whether Union will look to bring in a replacement for the departing Ansah should his reported move to the Premier League materialise.

Lustrinelli is still without several players at the start of the season, with Oliver Burke, Andrej Ilić, Nsoki and Friedrich currently unavailable.

With an untested manager in the dugout who is still trying to get the best out of his squad while implementing a new system, coupled with the possibility of further departures and unrest before the transfer window closes, life could be difficult for the Die Eisernen the opening stages of the season.

A poor start could quickly pile pressure on Lustrinelli, particularly given the expectations that come with taking charge of a Bundesliga club after such a successful campaign with Thun.

While Union have done some work to address their lack of defensive depth, the quality of the forward line and midfield appears to have stagnated, or even declined, which could make life difficult over the course of the campaign.

It also appears that the club are prepared to consolidate this season, with a greater focus on regenerating their facilities and infrastructure in the hope that this will allow Union to prosper for many years to come.

Ultimately, I expect Union to flirt with the wrong end of the bottom half of the table for much of the season, while possessing just enough quality to avoid serious relegation trouble. The two newly promoted sides, along with perhaps one or two others, could finish below them.