Bundesliga: Leipzig and Union Berlin Lock Horns Vying For a Victory

Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig

It’s been a rough week for Union Berlin and RB Leipzig as they’re fresh from losses in the last time out, and they’ll look to get back into the win column this Friday evening at the Alte Forestei Stadium.

Die Eisernen and Die Roten Bullen are both vying for European spots this term and they are near each other in the Bundesliga table – with the hosts at sixth with 20 points while their visitors are at eighth with 18.

This upcoming match will feature some of the best young players in German top-flight football. From the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi and Christopher Nkunku, fans can expect numerous Bundesliga 2021 highlights from both sides.

This is also going to be the first-ever Bundesliga meeting between Urs Fischer and Jesse Marsch, and it’ll be interesting to see who gets the better of the other.

So without further ado, continue to read on below as SBOTOP examines these two sides here in today’s match preview.

Talking Points

Taiwo Awoniyi is Union Berlin’s danger man

Union Berlin’s steady rise in the Bundesliga over these past few seasons can be attributed to the dramatic improvement of their key players such as Taiwo Awoniyi.

The 24-year-old striker is in torrid form as he’s the fifth top-scorer in the Bundesliga with 10 goals behind Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, Anthony Modeste, and Patrik Schick, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Bundesliga: Union Berlin aim to bounce back from recent setbacks when they take on RB Leipzig at home — Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer coaches on the touchline during their recent match against Eintracht Frankfurt

He has come a long way since being just a fringe player for Liverpool. Before, he was always being loaned away to various clubs, but now he is a bona fide star.

Awoniyi now holds Union Berlin’s fate for this campaign, although consistent contributions from others are very much welcomed.

Max Kruse has yet to regain his footing since leading the line for Die Eisernen last season. The 33-year-old forward has two goals and three assists for now and that number should increase moving forward.

Health remains a concern for RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig will hope to have a fully-fit squad ahead of this weekend’s matchup. The Red Bulls’ COVID-19 misery went from bad to worse as they slumped to a two-game losing streak, following their 3-1 defeat at home vs. Bayer Leverkusen.

Head coach Jesse Marsch, Yussuf Poulsen, Peter Gulacsi, Hugo Novoa, Willi Orban, Mohamad Simakan were the notable names who were absent as they all had positive coronavirus tests earlier in the week.

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The Red Bulls were seemingly getting their rhythm after a slow start to their 2021/22 campaign, but now it feels like they’re back to square one.

Die Roten Bullen have yet to provide updates regarding their COVID-19 situation as of the moment, so we’ll assume that they’ll field in the same lineup as last Monday.

Andre Silva found the back of the net against Leverkusen and he’ll look to join Christopher Nkunku and Brian Brobbey up front. Emil Forsberg, Kevin Kampl, and Konrad Laimer form their three-man midfield, while Nordi Mukiele, Lukas Klostermann, Josko Gvardiol, Angelino, are the back four to cover for Josep Martinez.

History

Union Berlin will aim to improve their overall head-to-head record against RB Leipzig. Prior to this weekend, Die Eisernen have suffered three losses in their last four encounters against Die Roten Bullen.

Their first-ever Bundesliga meeting happened in August 2018 where RB Leipzig dealt Union Berlin their heaviest league home defeat with a 4-0 scoreline.

Die Eisernen won in their most recent meeting back in May with a 2-1 scoreline. Justin Kluivert gave Leipzig the lead at the 55^th minute, but Union Berlin replied with goals from Marvin Friedrich and Max Kruse.

That win was big for Union Berlin since it sealed their Europa League berth, and it was also Julian Nagelsmann’s final game in charge for Leipzig.

For the first time in the Bundesliga, Union Berlin enter this contest as the better-ranked team over RB Leipzig – who are currently in their worst league position ever at this stage of a campaign.

Betting Tip

	Union Berlin vs RB Leipzig	RB Leipzig Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 1.93
	December 04, 3:30 AM (GMT+8)

The Bundesliga 2021 odds have RB Leipzig as the favourites for this fixture. They are priced at 1.93, while a Union Berlin win is at 3.65 and chances for a draw are at 3.60 in the 1X2 market.

RB Leipzig’s recent form is worse compared to Union Berlin, but they are the much better roster on paper and they should be able to churn out a strong performance on the road.

Their dominance against Die Eisernen speaks for itself, which is why we tip Die Roten Bullen to take all three points and move up a few notches in the Bundesliga standings.