RB Leipzig Can Go on Top of the Bundesliga Table This Week

RB Leipzig vs Union Berlin

RB Leipzig could see themselves at the top of the Bundesliga table, depending on how this weekend’s Bundesliga 2024 results would go.

With two wins to open their 2024-25 campaign, Die Roten Bullen are one of the three teams battling for the top spot alongside Bayern Munich and Heidenheim. They are coming off a huge 3-2 win against defending champions Bayer Leverkusen last time out, so they are confident ahead of this home game.

Marco Rose’s men will take on Union Berlin, who are also undefeated in their first two games prior to the international break. After drawing 1-1 with Mainz, Union Berlin secured a 1-0 victory over newly promoted FC St. Pauli.

These two teams will battle it out at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday, and SBOTOP is here for the match preview.

Talking Points

RB Leipzig still firing

Despite losing Dani Olmo to Barcelona this summer, Die Roten Bullen remain potent in the final third, as they have already scored eight goals while conceding four on the other end in their first three games against all competitions.

RB Leipzig started their campaign with a bang by demolishing Essen with a score of 4-1, but they had a tougher time against VfL Bochum after that since they only scored once.

Against Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig went down 2-0, but they fought back to deal the defending champions’ first league defeat in more than a year.

Lois Openda, the team’s top scorer last season, hasn’t skipped a beat because he already has three goals. Antonio Nusa has two goals and one assist, while Benjamin Sesko, Xavi Simons, and Kevin Kampl combine for three goals and three assists.

Besides these five players, RB Leipzig’s potent attack is sustainable because they also have the likes of Yussuf Poulsen, Elif Elmas, Christoph Baumgartner, Arthur Vermeeren, and Andre Silva coming off the bench.

RB Leipzig’s backline has a huge question mark, as team captain Willi Orban will continue to serve his suspension after taking a red card against VfL Bochum.

Don’t be surprised if Marco Rose will use the 3-4-2-1 formation against Union Berlin, with Lukas Klostermann, Castello Lukeba, and El Chadaille Bitshiabu forming a back three since it worked against Bayer Leverkusen.

Union Berlin rebuild under Svensson

After a robust 2022-23 campaign in which they qualified for the Champions League for the first time ever, Union Berlin struggled mightily last season and barely made it out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over SC Freiburg in the final matchday.

This summer, Die Eisernen replaced Nenad Bjelica with Bo Svensson, who previously coached Mainz for three years. They also veered away from their previous transfer strategy of getting well-known players, as they strengthened their squad by adding players from Bundesliga 2 teams.

One of them is Laszlo Benes, who found the back of the net against Mainz in the league opener. Besides him, Benedict Hollerbach and Yorbe Vertessen have also found the back of the net for Union Berlin.

Union Berlin may not have the weapons like RB Leipzig have, so don’t be surprised if they’ll play with a compact defence and try to attack on a counter.

History

RB Leipzig managed to record a league double over Union Berlin last season with an aggregate tally of 5-0 after losing all three of their previous encounters with the exact same score of 2-1.

Die Roten Bullen have won their opening two Bundesliga games for just the second time ever. The last time they did this was in 2019-20 under Julian Nagelsmann, when they also won on the third matchday.

Marco Rose’s men are unbeaten in 13 Bundesliga matches (W9, D4) dating back to the end of last season, which is currently a league best. Their last league defeat was a 2-1 result against Bayern Munich in February.

Union Berlin, meanwhile, are undefeated after the first two Bundesliga matchdays for the fourth consecutive year (W1, D1).

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2024 odds have the hosts as the favourites to win on Saturday. RB Leipzig are priced at 1.42, while a Union Berlin victory is at 6.00, and a draw is at 4.26 in the 1X2 market.

Other than going for our recommended bet above, you may also go for alternatives like Total Goals 2-3 at 2.06, Over 2.75 at 1.84, or even Over 3.00 at 2.08, given the high-scoring nature of this particular fixture.

Furthermore, Correct Scores of 3-0 and 2-0 in favour of the hosts – the results of their last two league meetings – are priced at 7.20 and 10.50, respectively.

 

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