Union Berlin midfielder Aljoscha Kemlein returns to his Bundesliga club overflowing with confidence. The 21-year-old garnered two assists over the November international break whilst on duty with the Germany U21s. What has already been an eventual week for the Berlin native features another special occasion.
Kemlein and his Bundesliga outfit will be heading to St. Pauli’s Millerntor stadium on Sunday. Union loaned Kemlein out to Hamburg’s Kiezkicker during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. Kemlein was among the pivotal players who helped guide St. Pauli to the 2. Bundesliga title and promotion that season.
“I had some great experiences at St. Pauli during the promotion campaign,” Kemlein conceded at a Thursday FCU press event. “I’m definitely looking forward to playing there again.“
Kemlein’s old club will be hoping to spoil his return. Since winning away at Augsburg on matchday three, Alexander Blessin’s team have lost seven straight league fixtures and find themselves in 16th-place in the league table. Union remain above the relegation fray for now, but must win to keep themselves there.
As hard as both teams will fight for every inch and every advantage, Kemlein still believed there was still a kinship between fans of the two small market “cult clubs“. For the man who represented both teams, the intimacy of the two respective venues exhibit striking similarities.
“I generally think that the stadium layout [of St. Pauli’s Millerntor and Union’s Stadion An der Alten Försterei] is similar,” Kemlein said. “There are lots of fans singing along. It’s loud. it’s cramped. There’s a great atmosphere in both stadiums. That’s why games in both stadiums are so much fun.”
