Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
On May 17, 2025, the BBK Arena in Augsburg will host another Bundesliga clash between Augsburg and Union Berlin. I don't expect this match to be high-scoring.
Augsburg
Last season, Augsburg finished 11th in the Bundesliga standings — the club's best result in the past ten years. With one round remaining in the current campaign, Jess Thorup's side is once again close to repeating that achievement: the team is just two points behind Borussia Mönchengladbach, who round out the top 10, and three points ahead of 12th-placed Wolfsburg.
However, the end of the season has been frankly disappointing. Once it became clear that Augsburg was safe from relegation but also had no chance of qualifying for Europe, the team lost motivation. The result: three straight defeats, only one goal scored, and a clear drop in performance.
Despite the poor finish, the season as a whole can be considered respectable by Augsburg's standards. This especially applies to their run in the DFB-Pokal. The team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they lost by the narrowest margin to eventual finalists Stuttgart. This is the club's best cup achievement in 15 years. The last time Augsburg advanced this far in the DFB-Pokal was back in the 2009/10 season, when, as a 2. Bundesliga side, they reached the semifinals but lost 0-2 to Werder Bremen.
Union Berlin
After three impressive seasons — finishing 7th, 5th, and 4th in the Bundesliga and getting a taste of all three European competitions — last season marked a painful setback for Union Berlin. The team came perilously close to relegation, barely clinging to their top-flight status.
This campaign, the capital club also failed to meet expectations, but with one round to go, they've secured a calm finish with no relegation threat. Currently, Union sits two places below Augsburg and has no more objectives in the standings.
Their cup journey also ended early this season. Union exited in the round of 32, losing 0-2 away to Arminia Bielefeld. Notably, both Union and Augsburg were knocked out by teams that eventually reached the final. Meanwhile, Arminia, playing in the third tier, is on the brink of a historic feat: they could become the first 3. Liga club to win the DFB-Pokal since the division was founded in 2008.
As for the end of the season, Union played it cautiously but confidently. The team put together an eight-match unbeaten run — three wins and five draws. However, it all came undone with a shocking 0-3 home defeat to Heidenheim, who are battling to avoid relegation. That result was a worrying sign that Union's motivation is fading as the season wraps up.
Probable line-ups
- Augsburg: Dahmen, Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Zezeiger, Wolf, Onyeka, Jakic, Giannoulis, Komur, Claude-Maurice, Tietz
- Union Berlin: Rønnow, Doekhi, Vogt, Kverfeldt, Trimmel, Khedira, Rote, Voter, Haberer, Hollerbach, Hussein
Match facts and H2H
- Augsburg enter the final round on the back of three straight defeats with a combined score of 1:9 — a clear slump both in attack and defense.
- Union, meanwhile, are winless in five matches, continuing to struggle at the end of the season.
- It's worth noting that in the first half of the season, Augsburg convincingly beat Union away 2-0. Historically, however, head-to-head encounters between these teams rarely produce many goals: in the last six meetings, the over 2.5 goals bet has only come through once.
- Union's weak attack on the road is also a concern — with 15 goals scored away from home, they have the worst record in the league in this respect.
Prediction
Both teams approach the season finale with nothing left to play for. Union traditionally struggle away from home, with results much poorer than in Berlin. Also, head-to-head encounters have not been particularly high-scoring. Given the context, we shouldn't expect an open, goal-filled match. Our pick — "total under 3.0" at odds of 1.83.
