Andrej Ilic
FCU
CF (LW)
Target Striker
Apr 3, 2000 (26)
Right
6'2"
190 lb
Union BerlinRemains out against Schalke
Ilic (illness) remains unavailable and has been ruled out for Friday's Bundesliga clash against Schalke 04 as he continues his recovery from food poisoning, according to coach Mauro Lustrinelli.
Analysis: Ilic remains unavailable after food poisoning disrupted the start of his season and has yet to return to competitive action. His continued absence against Schalke suggests the striker still needs additional time to recover and rebuild his fitness before being considered for selection. Emmanuel Latte Lath remains the leading option to benefit from Ilic's absence in the attacking rotation.
Still not ready
Ilic (illness) won't be available for Saturday's Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen as he continues his recovery from food poisoning, according to coach Mauro Lustrinelli.
Analysis: Ilic will miss another contest after the lingering effects of food poisoning prevented him from featuring in Union's opening matches. The striker had previously been limited to individual work, suggesting he still needs to rebuild his fitness before returning to competitive action. Emmanuel Latte Lath should continue to benefit from Ilic's absence with increased opportunities in attack.
Ruled out for opener
Ilic (illness) will miss Union Berlin's Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with the match coming too soon following the food poisoning and its lingering effects that have sidelined him, according to coach Mauro Lustrinelli.
Analysis: Ilic has continued training individually and has yet to fully rejoin team training, having already missed the DFB Pokal opener against Eintracht Braunschweig with the same issue. It remains unclear when he will return to collective training and be available again for Union Berlin. Until he returns to full fitness, Emmanuel Latte Lath will see increased playing time in the attack for Union.
Uncertain for Bundesliga opener
Ilic is still training individually as he continues to recover from the effects of food poisoning and remains uncertain for Saturday's Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Welt.
Analysis: Ilic has yet to return to team training after food poisoning forced him to leave Union Berlin's preseason camp early and miss the DFB-Pokal win over Eintracht Braunschweig. The striker continues to work individually, leaving his availability for Saturday dependent on whether he can rejoin the group in the coming days.
Extends contract with Union Berlin
Ilic has extended his contract with Union Berlin, the club announced.
Analysis: Ilic joined Union on loan in the summer of 2024 after a successful career path through Serbia, Latvia, Norway and France. Since his permanent signing last summer, the striker has been directly involved in 25 goals across 50 competitive appearances for Union, contributing 13 goals and 12 assists. Ilic is expected to continue playing a central role in Union's attack given his aerial presenc. His extension keeps one of the club's most productive attacking options in place for the foreseeable future.
Nets twice in season finale
Ilic scored two goals to go with three shots (three on goal) and one chance created in Saturday's 4-0 victory against FC Augsburg.
Analysis: Ilic broke the deadlock for Union Berlin in the 10th minute when a loose ball fell to him, allowing him to find the back of the net into the open goal. He later added another tally just before the end of the first half, as he received an aerial assist from Oliver Burke before firing an unstoppable shot from outside the box. It was a great way to end the season for Ilic, who capped the 2025/26 season with five goals and nine assists across 32 appearances (24 starts) in 2,256 minutes. He wasn't able to replicate the seven goals he scored in 16 appearances in 2024/25, but he was far more collaborative in the build-up, as evidenced by the nine assists.
Involved in two of three goals
Ilic scored a goal and had an assist with his lone chance created while taking five shots (three on goal) and crossing once inaccurately during Sunday's 3-1 win over Mainz.
Analysis: Ilic opened the scoring in the 38th minute before setting up Oliver Burke for the game winning goal in the 88th while leading Mainz in shots. The goal involvements were the first since April 18th for Ilic as he's combined for nine shots over his last three appearances, two of which are starts.
Select Player
Search and select a player to compare