Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

FC Union Berlin will host RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga 3rd round match at the An der alten Försterei Stadium. The fixture will take place on Sunday, September 3, beginning at 21:00 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Union Berlin News & Current Form: 

The club has managed to find ways to progress in recent years. In 2019, they won the right to make their debut in the German top flight with a win over VfB Stuttgart. In 2021, the team from Berlin has already made its way into the UEFA Europa Conference League, and last season the Germans already played in the play-offs of the UEFA Europa League.

Last season, Union had an excellent performance. Recall that the protégés of Urs Fischer fought for medals to the last, but eventually finished in fourth place in the Bundesliga, also managed to get to 1/8 Europa League.

The preparation campaign of the hosts of the upcoming confrontation was abundant, but with mixed success. In seven matches played, the club has four wins and three defeats. 

Encouraged by the result of the last season and participation in the UEFA Champions League group round (for the first time in history) the Iron Ones decided to go to new heights from the first official match. In the 1/32 of DFB-Pokal, the Iron Ones defeated FC Astoria Walldorf, a representative of the German fourth division, 4:0 on foreign soil.

Hero of the game against FSV Mainz 05 – goalkeeper of Berlin Union Frederik Ronnow

Urs Fischer’s side started the league season at the same tempo, destroying a tough FSV Mainz 05 side 4:1 at home. And a pleasant goal difference was ensured by the hosts’ own goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow, who deflected two penalties.

In the second round of the Bundesliga extravaganza Berlin club continued, dismantling the debutant of the elite German league SV Darmstadt 98, and did it playing from the 21st minute in the minority, and again with a favorite score – 4:1.

It should be noted that as many as 6 players of the team are recovering from various injuries: Sheraldo Becker, Laurenzo Dehl, Danilho Doekhi, Janik Haberer, Rani Khedira, Andras Schafer, also Brenden Aaronson is suspended from the upcoming game.

RB Leipzig News & Current Form: 

The team couldn’t help but feel some apprehension before the start of this season. After all, twice in a row, both in 2021 and 2022, the Bulls started the season poorly, improving only after the change of coach. 

Having organized a small sale of their leading players from last season in the off-season, and having earned some money (for Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai – 220 million euros), representatives of the Red Bulls with new strength and performers plunged into the maelstrom of official matches. And immediately created a sensation by humiliating FC Bayern Munich in the match for the DFL-Supercup, and did it in its Munich grounds – 3:0.

Newly acquired player of RB Leipzig – Christopher Lenz

But RBs could not start the championship on a favorable note. However, the opponent for wards of Marco Rose was serious – Bayer 04 Leverkusen, to whom Leipzig struggled but gave up three points – 2:3. Rehabilitated last season’s bronze medallist in the next match, having played last Friday at home walls on poor Stuttgart – 5:1.

The most interesting thing is that they conceded there in the first half, and in the second half they simply swept away the opponent’s defense. With their potential, they are capable of easily beating any rival in the division.

The Bulls are luckier than their upcoming opponent, with only 3 players in the teams infirmary – El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Amadou Haidara and Péter Gulácsi.

Union Berlin form guide: W-W-W

RB Leipzig form guide: W-L-W

Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig Head-To-Head Record:

• March 3, 2021: Union Berlin 2 – 1 RB Leipzig (Bundesliga);
• April 20, 2022: RB Leipzig 2 – 1 Union Berlin (DFB-Pokal);
• April 23, 2022: RB Leipzig 1 – 2 Union Berlin (Bundesliga);
• August 20, 2022: Union Berlin 2 – 1 RB Leipzig (Bundesliga);
• February 11, 2023: RB Leipzig 1 – 2 Union Berlin (Bundesliga).

Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig Predicted XI:

Union Berlin’s possible starting lineup (3-4-3): Ronnow, Jaeckel, Knoche, Leite, Juranovic, Laidouni, Kral, Gosens, Fofana, Behrens, Volland.

RB Leipzig’s possible starting lineup (4-2-2-2): Blaswich, Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum, Simons, Kampl, Schlager, Olmo, Openda, Poulsen.

Statistical preview of the match Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig:

• Union’s First XI average age is 27.8 years, while the total value of the squad is 192 mln euros. 
• Leipzig’s First XI average age is 26.9 years, while the total value of the squad is 409 mln euros.
• It is noteworthy that the last six personal meetings between the upcoming rivals invariably ended with the score 2:1 in favor of one of the teams.
•  After two starting rounds of the current championship, clubs are the most scoring in the table, the average speed of Union – 4 goals per game, Leipzig – 3.5.

What has been said before the match:

“I have to give the team huge credit for their mentality and morale. They somehow put that setback to one side, absorbing it as a team. The way the boys  performed is a step in the right direction.”

Coach of Union Urs Fischer after winning against Darmstadt 98:

“We’re looking forward to the challenge. We know how the last few games have gone and would obviously love to pick up three points at the Alte Försterei again. We’re backing ourselves, but we know how dangerous they are at home. Above all, the Union are a team who know how to win.”

Gaffer of the Red Bulls Marco Rose ahead of the Bundesliga game with Union Berlin:

“They’re very good at crossing and dangerous in the air. It’s definitely something for us to focus on. They play with three at the back and two strong strikers, who inject a lot of pace into the game and are a constant handful in the box.”

“We’ll need to play with maturity and focus on ourselves. We want to bring our quality to the table, so we don’t play into Union’s hands and give them what they want out of the game. We’ll need to be prepared for their crossing and mark their players in the box. It’s also important that we find solutions to play around their pressing.”

“It’s all about the first and second balls in the first ten minutes. We’ve got to be strong in the tackle and close down space. To put it simply, it’s a matter of making the right decisions in the right moments.”

Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig Prediction:

Bundesliga fans will see an Eastern German derby in action. The Iron Ones are off to a superb start to the season having secured a 4-1 win over Mainz. In that match Kevin Behrens left no chance for the Carnivaliers after 9 minutes of the match, scoring a double. Statistics suggest that men of Urs Fischer were far from excellent: a bit more shots than the opponent, less possession, much lower xG and so on, however, it doesn’t matter because Union earned a significant victory, although it’s worth noting that the Berliners conceded two penalties in their own goal, which were not converted. The second match was away to Darmstadt 98, where Urs Fischer’s men won 4-1. For the second time, the Ironmen did not stand out statistically: fewer shots, possession, xG attacks, etc. But then again, what’s the point of them going forward in attack if they can utilize corners and free kicks with extreme efficiency (they’ve already scored 3 goals from set-pieces). Generally, the Union are displaying productive football. Although it should be noted that the level of opponents was fairly low, to put it bluntly. 

As for Leipzig, the Red Bulls started the campaign with a defeat at home stadium – the match ended 2:3. Despite the fact that Leipzig performed subpar, the victory is rather a credit to the outstanding effort of a highly relevant opponent – Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso, receiving ex-Arsenal deep-lying playmaker Granita Xhaka at his disposal, got a feature that makes it much easier for the Black and Reds to pick up points. However, Leipzig’s players outperformed their counterparts in terms of statistics. Luck decided everything here – that’s the appropriate way to put it. The second match for the Red Bulls was extremely bad in the beginning, but perfect afterwards. The opponent in that match was Stuttgart, who managed to score 5 unanswered goals to Bochum before. Some even considered them favorites, but let’s be honest, Stuttgart is the team that belongs to the end of the list, they have nothing except the task of not getting relegated. 5:1 in favor of the hosts as a result. By the way, Leipzig was also good statistically. 

Spanish attacking midfielder Dani Olmo is the man to build the game around. His game is impressive, a hat-trick against Bayern and a goal each against Bayer 04 and Stuttgart. Although some experts criticize him due to the fact that he is injury prone and misses a lot of games. Hopefully, that all is behind him and he has sorted out his issues and will please the whole football world with his beautiful game. Also worth highlighting is the acquisition of the young talent Xavi Simons. Everyone thought that it would be hard for him to adapt and withstand the high competition, but he refuted these expectations and already had a great match last round – giving two assists and scoring a goal. 

The match will be played at home for Union, which is a significant plus for the Iron Ones, as they are very dependent on the large and noisy fan support. In addition, taking 6 points with a total score of 8:2 is a very positive and reassuring boost to gain perfect momentum. Yes, on the other side of the “barricade” is one of the contenders for the silverware – Leipzig, to which it should be said Union is hardly inferior. The match is quite tough for both teams, because now there is an opportunity to gain points, especially with the UCL just around the corner. But still, Union plays better at home, so, although with a small advantage, Union should win and keep the first place in the Bundesliga, although Leipzig should try to get back on track after the last bitter round. It is extremely curious that the Berlin team has won the last three matches against Leipzig, and the last six duels between these rivals ended with the same score of 2-1. We expect both sides to score in the next edition of the rivalry.

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Union Berlin will not lose and both teams will score – Yes.

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