Title fight at the Allianz Arena
You have to let it roll off your tongue. Union Berlin is not a club that has been pushed financially by a big investor. The Eisernen are only in their fourth year in the Bundesliga and we can twist and turn, but the snapshot says that the Köpenickers are right in the middle of the title race, even if the tip in the top match between Bayern and Union Berlin probably goes in the direction of a home win,
It is nothing out of the ordinary that the record champion Bayern Munich is greeting us from the top after 21 match days. However, with Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin, the Munich team have two teams on the same points behind them and on Sunday the capital city team will be the guest at the Allianz Arena.
The only two teams that have not lost a home game in the Bundesliga this season will meet. A fortnight ago, RB Leipzig belonged to this squad before Urs Fischer made an appearance with his team in Saxony. Now the Köpenicker are also looking to inflict their first home defeat on Bayern, but the first prediction in the game between Bayern and Union Berlin should tend more towards a home win.
The two teams with the fewest goals conceded this season will also meet. For the Bavarians, this is more due to the fact that the game is offensively oriented. The Berliners, on the other hand, are a team that defends its own goal with heart and soul. Nevertheless, we have the impression that there might be more than 2.5 goals on Sunday, because Bayern are fired up and Köpenicker might be a bit flat after an English week.
Bayern – statistics & current form
If other teams were top of the Bundesliga, in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup and had won the first leg at Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, the joy would be great. You can tell that the German record champions are latently dissatisfied with their current situation. Yet they have everything in their own hands.
Weak yield after the winter break
But there is also no denying that Munich have picked up just nine points out of a possible 18 in the Bundesliga after the winter break. Club boss Oliver Kahn makes it very clear that the loss of points is probably less to do with the existing quality in the squad than with a lack of willingness. This then also means that there will be a lot of pressure on the kettle internally.
Last weekend, however, Bayern conceded only their second defeat overall this season and once again, fearful opponents Gladbach were responsible. However, Dayot Upamecano already saw the red card for an emergency foul in the opening phase. The FCB fell behind when they were outnumbered, but Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting equalised. After trailing 1:3, Mathys Tel only managed to score the late equaliser.
Dayot Upamecano will now miss the top match through suspension. In addition, Daley Blind was not convincing in defence. Benjamin Pavard returns after a yellow suspension and it is therefore conceivable that Julian Nagelsmann will play with a four-man defence again on Sunday. The injured Manuel Neuer, Lucas Hernandez and Noussair Mazraoui are still out of the game.
Last matches of Bayern:
Bundesliga
18/02/2023 – Gladbach 3 – 2 Bayern Munich
Champions League Final
15/02/2023 – Paris Saint-Germain 0 – 1 Bayern Munich
Bundesliga
11/02/2023 – Bayern Munich 3 – 0 VfL Bochum
05/02/2023 – VfL Wolfsburg 2 – 4 Bayern Munich
DFB Cup
02/02/2023 – Mainz 05 0 – 4 Bayern Munich
Union Berlin – Statistics & current form
As fans of the Eisernen from Berlin, you can’t help but be amazed at the moment. The fact that a team can develop in such a way, even though the investments are kept within manageable limits, shows once again that football hasn’t changed that much after all, but that you can form a team and the most important thing for that is simply the necessary patience.
Undefeated after the winter break
This one was with Urs Fischer and the Swiss is already a candidate for a monument in front of the Alte Försterei. The Eisernen are still unbeaten at home in this Bundesliga season and after the winter break they haven’t lost a game in nine competitive matches. In addition, the capital city team is in the last 16 of the Europa League. There are no discernible limits at the moment and perhaps the odds on the visitors winning a point in the clash between Bayern and Union Berlin should at least be kept in mind.
Last Thursday, Ajax Amsterdam, one of the biggest names in international football, were guests in Köpenick. After the draw in the first leg in Holland, a 3:1 home win was enough for Union Berlin to enter the next round of the Europa League. Robin Knoche, Josip Juranovic and Danilho Doekhi were the scorers for the extremely effective Berliners, who score their goals either with quick counter-attacks or after a standard.
Urs Fischer’s team likes to play against the league leaders and has at least scored in five of its nine games against the primus. Nothing less is the goal on Sunday in Munich. Rotation-related changes are conceivable after Thursday’s match. Due to injury, only Andras Schäfer will probably be missing, so Urs Fischer should have plenty of options anyway.
Last matches of Union Berlin:
Europa League Final Stage
24/02/2023 – Union Berlin 3 – 1 Ajax Amsterdam
Bundesliga
19/02/2023 – Union Berlin 0 – 0 Schalke 04
Europa League Final Stage
17/02/2023 – Ajax Amsterdam 0 – 0 Union Berlin
Bundesliga
12/02/2023 – RB Leipzig 1 – 2 Union Berlin
04/02/2023 – Union Berlin 2 – 1 Mainz 05
Bayern – Union Berlin Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
Bayern Munich and Union Berlin have never met in the cup. The Eisernen are now in their fourth year in the top flight and have seven direct duels to their name. For the Eisernen, the record is not particularly presentable, as the Berliners are still waiting for their first victory against the record champions. Only against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and Darmstadt 98 did the FCB play more often in the Bundesliga without losing.
In the first leg, however, Bayern had to settle for a draw at the Alte Försterei and it was again clear how unpleasant the Köpenickers are to play against. Sheraldo Becker even gave the home side a 1-0 lead, but just three minutes later it was Joshua Kimmich who equalised and made the final score 1-1 early on.
Bayern – Union Berlin Tip
It wasn’t so long ago that a home game between Bayern and Union Berlin would have been considered a crystal-clear affair. At the moment, however, the Munich team is having problems and the Eisern are riding a wave of success. But that could also be the Berliners’ problem, because whenever Bayern are up against teams that want to shake their throne, they are particularly fired up and that’s what makes the FCB so dangerous again on Sunday.
Union have the better record after the winter break, but the Köpenickers had to deal with Ajax Amsterdam on Thursday and so there could possibly be a problem with freshness.
We expect the home side to know what the time has come and Julian Nagelsmann’s side to put the opposition in their place in their usual manner when they try to penetrate the record champions’ territory. That’s why we’re expecting stormy hosts and have decided to play the betting odds on FCB’s HT/FT between Bayern and Union Berlin.
