If anything has become a tradition in the Bundesliga in recent years, it’s the protests against RB Leipzig. The club from Saxony has come to terms with the role, but of course defends itself from time to time. Before the top game against Union Berlin, coach Marco Rose says something.
Second against fourth, two Eastern clubs in a clinch for the Champions League ranks – but once again there is silence in the stands. At least in the guest block. When Union Berlin, the workers’ club from Köpenick, travels to class enemy RB Leipzig for the Bundesliga summit on Saturday (6:30 p.m. / Sky), the more than 4,000 Union fans are likely to refuse loud support for the first few minutes. In protest against the DFB Cup winner.
“I’m assuming that it will be like that again in this game – which I don’t like. But you have to accept that,” said Union coach Urs Fischer before the game. The actions against the club sponsored by Red Bull are not new, for example in the cup semi-final between Leipzig and Union something similar happened last year. RB coach Marco Rose also described such protests as “legitimate”, although such statements were “hypocritical here and there”.
As Rose explained, the Saxons, who have risen to become a top club since they were founded in 2009, have come to terms with their situation. “We have learned that the others are definitely always funnier than us,” said the 46-year-old: “Over the years, after turning the left cheek, we also learned to turn the right.” Even Fischer hinted: “It’s about football for me. The other thing is the mindset of the fans. It doesn’t have to be mine.”
If it’s really just about football, the two clubs aren’t that unequal anymore. Union is second (39 points) just one point behind leaders Bayern Munich, RB can draw level with the Berliners with a win. Nevertheless, Unions managing director Oliver Ruhnert usually stacks deep. “Once we’ve reached 40 points, we’ll set ourselves new goals,” he said during the week. The time could come on Saturday, which is why Ruhnert thinks further: “No one would mind if it were enough to qualify internationally again after this season.”
If Ruhnert likes to talk about the fact that Union has “overperformed” for years, Rose at least questioned “whether Union is still such a small club”. When you think of the recent two appearances in Europe and the near-transfer of ex-real star Isco, that’s a valid objection. But of course Rose, who was born in Leipzig, still knows Union from the GDR times, when the European Cup was just a bold dream, and therefore understands that Union is fighting to “maintain this underdog image for as long as possible”.
A clear favorite is hard to pin down because RB are unbeaten in 18 competitive games and Union have won all four league games in 2023. And yet: Union has won the previous four league duels against RB. Maybe that’s why Rose didn’t want to overestimate the importance of the east cracker, so as not to increase the pressure unnecessarily. “The game is important, but then there are a few more,” he said: “The most important thing, apart from the table, is our performance. No result without performance. And then table: ass. That’s the causal chain.”
