1. FC Union Berlin vs Dortmund Prediction & Preview - Bundesliga

Thirteen points against seven. That is the distance between Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Union Berlin over their last six matches, and it is the thing to hold onto before anything else about this Bundesliga fixture in Berlin on Saturday, 17 October 2026. Union have conceded 17 goals in that run. Dortmund have conceded 7 and scored 12. If you are after a 1. FC Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund prediction, the form table is not subtle about it.

What time is kick-off for 1. FC Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund?

1. FC Union Berlin versus Borussia Dortmund kicks off at 14:30 BST on Saturday, 17 October 2026 at Stadion An der Alten Försterei in Berlin, in the Bundesliga. Mauro Lustrinelli's Union side are at home; Niko Kovac takes Dortmund there.

• Fixture: 1. FC Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund
• Competition: Bundesliga
• Date: Saturday, 17 October 2026
• Kick-off: 14:30 BST
• Venue: Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Berlin
• Match page: 1. FC Union Berlin v Borussia Dortmund

1. FC Union Berlin's form: two clean sheets and one hammering after another

Union have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their last six, scoring 6 and conceding 17. The headline number comes from a single afternoon: beaten 0-7 away to FC Bayern München on 18 September 2026, 29 days before this game. That was not an isolated bad day either. They lost 0-4 away to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 5 September and 1-3 at home to FC Schalke 04 on 11 September.

Then something shifted. Lustrinelli's side kept two clean sheets in those six matches and both came recently: a 1-0 win away to HNK Rijeka in a friendly on 26 September, and a 1-0 home win over SV 07 Elversberg on 10 October, 7 days before this match.

So the defence has stopped leaking. The problem is the other end. Union have scored two or more in only 1 of their last 6, and they failed to score twice. Winning 1-0 works against Elversberg. It is a thinner plan against this opposition.

Borussia Dortmund have been winning, right up until they stopped

Four wins, a draw and a defeat for Dortmund, 13 points, 12 goals scored. The run that built that was genuinely good: 3-2 away at TSG Hoffenheim on 5 September, 3-2 at home to Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League three days later, 3-0 against SC Paderborn 07, then a 1-0 win away to VfB Stuttgart on 19 September.

The last two have been scratchier. A 2-2 draw at home with SV Werder Bremen on 9 October, 8 days before this game, and a 0-1 defeat away to Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League on 14 October, just 3 days ago. Dortmund have conceded two or more in 3 of their last 6, which for a side with this much forward play is the soft spot.

Team news for Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund

Union are without strikers Emmanuel Latte Lath and Andrej Ilic, the latter after appendix surgery, with right-back Josip Juranovic managing Achilles pain and illness, centre-back Stanley Nsoki carrying a calf problem and left-back Andrik Markgraf still working back from a cruciate ligament injury, per Sports Mole. Dortmund are missing Emre Can and Giannis Konstantelias, both with cruciate ligament injuries, and midfielder Justin Lerma with a muscle problem, but Nico Schlotterbeck is back after sitting out midweek. Kovac said he has "a full roster to draw from" and that selection would come down to "who has recovered well, is fresh, and is ready to take on the challenge", according to Yahoo Sports.

Where this one is decided

Union's recent good results have come from keeping it tight and nicking one. Dortmund have scored two or more in 4 of their last 6 and have won 2 of their 3 away matches in that run, so the low-scoring template Union have been using needs to hold for a full 90 minutes rather than the 60 it managed against Bayern and Leverkusen.

The counter-argument is Dortmund's own back line. Three of their last six games featured two goals or more conceded, and both of Union's clean sheets are fresher than anything in Dortmund's defensive record.

Four of the last six matches involving each side produced three goals or more. That is the one thing both runs agree on.

1. FC Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund prediction

Borussia Dortmund to beat 1. FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga at Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday, 17 October 2026, in a game that should produce goals at both ends rather than a shutout. Dortmund's 13 points from six against Union's 7 is too wide a gap to talk away, and the away record holds up: 2 wins from 3 on the road in that run.

But Union have found something defensively, and Dortmund have conceded in each of their last two. Expect Union to get on the scoresheet and still come up short.

Our prediction: 1. FC Union Berlin 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

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