Bundesliga: Title Hopefuls Clash in Leipzig

RB Leipzig vs Union Berlin

In the most competitive Bundesliga season for some time things are heating up nicely, and there will be a white hot atmosphere at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday when high-flying Union Berlin come to town.

Urs Fischer’s side has exceeded all expectations this term and they come into the game in second position and on a run of four consecutive league victories, and they have climbed up to within a point of leaders FC Bayern after the champions suffered a post World Cup stutter.

If Bayern’s recent inconsistency continues then the Bundesliga 2023 betting odds will eventually take a shift away from Bavaria and RB Leipzig, currently priced at 11.00 with SBOTOP will be determined to pounce. Marco Rose’s side currently sits in fourth place in the table and four points off the pace, but a win will draw them up alongside Union Berlin in hot pursuit of the leaders.

Union Berlin come into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory over Mainz while Leipzig played out a goalless draw in Cologne. The hosts are strong favourites to win on Saturday but we have a fascinating clash on our hands in Leipzig.

Talking Points

Big-hearted Orban set to miss out

Red Bulls skipper Willi Orban could be missing from this clash as he completes a stem cell donation which will save a life. The all-action centre-back has been a big player in Leipzig’s climb up the table, but his personal priority comes first this week and it is unlikely he will feature against Union Berlin as he is unable to train in the run-up to the donation.

The 30-year-old Hungarian has been a mainstay of the Red Bulls’ rise since his arrival in 2015 and the club and fans are right behind him in his quest to help a stranger. He’ll be welcomed back soon, but Orban will likely join Christopher Nkunku on the absentee list, who is battling back from injury and has just returned to training for the first time since the World Cup.

Nkunku suffered a serious knee injury a day before France’s World Cup campaign began and he hasn’t appeared in training since, until this week. The Union game will be much too early for the 12-goal striker, so the responsibility for goals rests on the shoulders of the returned Timo Werner and experienced Portugal striker Andre Silva.

Meanwhile, Orban’s Hungarian compatriot Dominik Szoboszlai has had an impressive season in midfield. The 22-year-old has made eight assists and will be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Berlin’s set piece success

Union’s form in this campaign has been pretty big Bundesliga 2023 news as the league’s surprise package, and much of their success has been built on their prowess at set pieces. The Eisernen have scored a modest 33 goals from 19 games, but only leaders FC Bayern have conceded fewer than Union’s 23. The addition of defender Josip Juranovic in a 10m Euros move from Celtic will strengthen Berlin’s defence further.

Meanwhile, up front, they have scored 12 goals from dead-ball situations, excluding penalties, and eight of those set piece successes gave Union Berlin a win. Suriname attacker Sheraldo Becker has seven goals and four assists to his name and he has a big role to play on Saturday and, particularly in the absence of Leipzig’s defensive lynchpin Orban, set pieces will be a big part of the visitors’ plan.

Union Berlin missed out on the signing of Isco in the January transfer window and that would have been a marquee move, but they responded by just carrying on winning and Fischer will have his team primed to upset die Roten Bullen.

History

These are two relatively new teams to the German elite. Union Berlin won their first promotion to the top flight in 2019, to become the sixth club from the former Eastern Block to join the Bundesliga. Leipzig’s rise has been equally, if not more, startling as they made it to the top division in 2016, just seven years after the club was founded.

They have met 12 times and the Red Bulls have the slightest edge, with six wins to Berlin’s five and there has been one draw. In the return fixture on Matchday 3, the Eisernen won 2-1 as Jordan Pefok and Sheraldo Becker gave them a two-goal lead before Willi Orban scored a late consolation for the Red Bulls.

In fact, each of the last five encounters the game has been decided by the odd goal in three, Berlin triumphing in four league games in a row while Leipzig won 2-1 in the 2022 DFB Pokal Cup.

Both teams are in fine form, the Red Bulls have four wins and two draws from the last six games in all competitions, while Union Berlin have won all six. But Leipzig have been brilliant at home with seven wins and two draws so far at the Red Bull Arena.

Betting Tip

Alongside the bang in form Borussia Dortmund, these two teams are the biggest threat to Bayern’s dominance and while the hosts are clear favourites, all three results are nicely in play.

Leipzig are at 1.73 to win and Union Berlin at 4.45 with the draw priced at 3.40, but I’m stumping for another three-goal match and, for a correct score line, the familiar 2-1 to Union Berlin is at 16.84 while 2-1 to Leipzig is at 6.56.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.