Union Berlin s German defender Paul Jaeckel (L) and Dortmund s English midfielder Jude Bellingham vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Union Berlin v BVB Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, on February 13, 2022. AFP
Coronavirus restrictions are being scrapped in Berlin from Friday, part of a wider trend under national guidelines that will see full stadiums across the league.
It's going to be a special game for Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart, a fan favorite at Union for the two seasons he played at the club before its relegation to the third division in 2004.
Baumgart played in Union's heaviest ever second-division defeat, a 7-0 loss to Cologne in October 2002. Union's record since it gained promotion to the Bundesliga in 2019 is far better.
Of five games against Cologne in the top division, the Kopenick-based club has won four and drawn the other.
Union has also won its last three Friday night games, in contrast to Cologne, which lost its last three. Another win would let Union replace Cologne in seventh place.
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