Underdogs Take on Bridesmaids in Bundesliga Battle

Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund

Fourth versus second takes centre stage in the Bundesliga this weekend.

I admit to being surprised when a quick glance at the table showed Union Berlin in fourth place.

Sure, I was aware they had been on an upward trajectory but their rise under a Swiss coach who is so popular he even has a zoo named after him is staggering!

Standing in their way this weekend are the ‘nearly men’ of German football who are set for another season as bridesmaids behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich.

Talking Points

In fairness to Borussia Dortmund, they did win the German Cup last season and have constantly seen their best players depart – mainly for Munich.

The tide turned slightly this week when Dortmund moved to strengthen their defence for next season by signing Niklas Sule from their Bundesliga rivals.

Yet even that could be because he is surplus to requirements at the German champions

They could probably do with Sule to have joined immediately given they have conceded 36 goals already this season – their worst return after 21 games since 2007/08.

Indeed, there are 13 teams in the division who have shipped fewer than second-placed Borussia.

Five of those came last weekend when Dortmund missed veteran centre-back Mats Hummels and top striker Braut Erling Haaland and promptly shipped five at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the explosive encounter predicted.

This weekend, they are still likely to be without Haaland.

The absence of the 21-year-old, who has 16 goals in 14 Bundesliga appearances this term, is obviously a big blow, but it presents an opportunity for Thorgan Hazard to stake a claim in the team alongside captain Marco Reus and Donyell Malen up top.

Berlin also need to bounce back in their quest to create Bundesliga highlights.

Their first game of the post-Max Kruse era did not go to plan as they slipped to a surprise 2-0 defeat at a struggling Augsburg side.

However, Urs Fischer’s charges remain fourth (with a host of sides hot on their heels) and will be encouraged both by the fact they have not lost back-to-back league games this season, and by their home record against Dortmund in the Bundesliga: played two, won two.

They are without the suspended central midfielder Rani Khedira this weekend and he is set to be replaced by Grischa Prömel.

All under the guidance of the highly-rated Fischer who has quite a story to tell and already had a pedigree before he moved to Berlin.

For example, he was in charge of three clubs in his home country, starting out with Zurich and also serving time with Thun and Basel. He led Zurich to a runners-up spot in his first season there and got both them and unfancied Thun into the Europa League group stage.

He followed that up with back-to-back league titles and one Swiss Cup with Basel, where he also gained Champions League group stage experience.

Yet what he has achieved since crossing the border to Germany is on another level altogether.

After being appointed head coach in June 2018, he felt confident he could be a success at the Bundesliga 2 club but, not only was his first year in charge one to live long in the memory in the capital, he actually led them to the promised land – guiding the east Berliners to a remarkable first promotion to the German top flight by finishing third in the second tier and then getting the better of Stuttgart over two legs in May 2019.

No-one expected European qualification to follow so quickly, of course, but indeed it did and, after he was handed a new contract just over a year ago, Fischer’s men finished in seventh spot in the Bundesliga, qualifying for European football for the first time as a result.

Whether they have the squad to sustain a run in Europe and stay in the upper echelons of the domestic table remains unclear, but they are giving it a damn good go.

The scalp of Dortmund would be further proof.

History

Union have won both their home meetings with Dortmund in the Bundesliga (2-1 and 3-1). Conversely, they are the only club Dortmund have never won away at in the top flight.

The meeting at Dortmund earlier this season saw the hosts win 4-2, helped by two goals from Haaland and an own goal after the opener from Raphael Guerreiro.

Berlin replied through a Kruse penalty and Andreas Voglsammer header.

Betting Tip

	Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund	Borussia Dortmund Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.19
	February 13, 22:30 (GMT+8)

The SBOTOP Bundesliga betting odds opt for experience to triumph with Dortmund priced 1X2 @ 1.88 and the hosts out @ 3.75. The draw is not expected either given the odds of @ 3.70.

For Asian Handicap you can back the hosts +0.25 @ 2.38 or Dortmund -0.75 @ 2.19 – my ** tip.

 

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