Bundesliga: Leipzig Look for First Win in Berlin

Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig’s hopes of potentially challenging for the Bundesliga title have been dealt a blow after back-to-back draws to start the season.

And Domenico Tedesco’s side face the very real possibility of going winless in their first three games as they travel to the capital to face Union Berlin.

Die Eisernen are up in fifth through the first two rounds after a big derby win and a draw away to Mainz.

Talking Points

Union Berlin off to another strong start

Union Berlin are playing their fourth straight season in the Bundesliga, where they have enjoyed a steady upward trajectory. After a strong 11^th-place finish in their debut campaign, they have gone seventh and fifth the last two years, qualifying for Europe both times.

And Union are off to another strong start this season with a win and a draw in their first two games. Dating back to last season, they are now unbeaten in nine consecutive Bundesliga matches (7 wins, 2 draws), which is a club record.

Urs Fischer has led Union throughout this remarkable run. The 56-year-old coach has done a masterful job maximising his squad amid limited resources.

Fischer’s success at Union is made even more impressive by the fact that they have sold their leading Bundesliga scorer from the previous season each time. After Sebastian Andersson and Max Kruse, it was Taiwo Awoniyi’s turn to move on as he was sold to Nottingham Forest this summer following his breakout campaign where he scored 15 goals.

Union brought in American centre-forward Jordan Pefok to fill Awoniyi’s boots, and he has looked good thus far. He scored in his debut against city rivals Hertha and has five shots in his first two games. Meanwhile, strike partner Sheraldo Becker has also had a bright start with a goal and an assist.

But Julian Ryerson has been perhaps the biggest surprise thus far. The 24-year-old wing-back leads the team with six shots; he had attempted just 16 in his 28 appearances last season.

Leipzig still looking for first win

The Bundesliga 2022 odds had RB Leipzig as one of Bayern Munich’s main title challengers heading into the season after their dramatic turnaround under coach Domenico Tedesco.

But the Red Bulls have come out of the gates slowly as they’ve been held to back-to-back draws against Stuttgart and Koln.

Timo Werner made Bundesliga 2022 highlights on his return to Red Bull Arena as he scored the opener in his against Koln. However, Leipzig were down to ten men for the second half after Dominik Szoboszlai’s straight red card, and they were held to a 2-2 draw even after Christopher Nkunku had given them back the lead.

Nkunku has picked up from where he left off from last season as he’s scored in each of the first two games. He and Werner figure to be quite a prolific partnership moving forward.

With Szoboszlai suspended, Emil Forsberg could make his way back into to the starting lineup alongside Dani Olmo. After a disappointing injury-hit season last term, Olmo is returning to his best form and already has two assists in two games.

But while the Red Bulls have some exciting weapons in attack, they still have work to do at the back. Mohamad Simakan is likely to continue deputising in defence if Lukas Klostermann is unable to recover from his latest injury.

History

Despite being relative newcomers to the Bundesliga, Union Berlin have been surprisingly competitive against RB Leipzig, who have been one of the division’s top teams over the last few years.

Union and Leipzig have three wins each in their six Bundesliga matchups, although Union have won three in a row over the Red Bulls. Union did the double over Leipzig last season with two 2-1 wins.

Although, Leipzig did get one over on Union as they won 2-1 in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals. Emil Forsberg scored a dramatic winner in stoppage time to break the Berliners’ hearts.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have RB Leipzig installed as 2.11 favourites, with Union Berlin priced at 3.40 to pick up the home win. A draw is 3.30.

Leipzig are certainly much better than they’ve shown thus far this season, and the addition of Werner should be a big boost. But going to Berlin and picking up a win against an in-form Union side will be a tough task.

As Union’s undefeated run has shown, they are a difficult side to face, and even without a bona fide star in their squad, they are still capable of bringing down the best teams. Look for them to give Leipzig more problems en route to picking up a positive result at home.

 

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