Bundesliga: Big Ask for Berlin to Make History

Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin

After a midweek of German Cup fixtures, it’s back to Bundesliga games this weekend.

A meeting of the country’s football giants against a side from the capital whose whirlwind rise has provided an amazing tale.

To put into context, Bayern Munich and Union Berlin had never met until 2019.

Yet in terms of footballing pedigree, this is still the establishment against top-flight novices.

 

Talking Points 

League wise, Union Berlin come into this one on the back of a 1-1 draw against 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt, with Benedict Hollerbach cancelling out an early goal from 2014 World Cup winner Mario Götze. 

It may have been their third draw of the campaign but they have only been beaten once and are currently in fourth spot, five points off the top but level with reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen. 

That Bayern sit joint top of the table with RB Leipzig, and it is no surprise as they invested heavily in the summer in a bid to reclaim the title as Germany’s number one.

For a start, they acquired the services of Japan defender Hiroki Ito, whilst kitting out young prospects Josip Stanišić – a title-winner with Leverkusen last term – and Arijon Ibrahimović with new deals all before the official start of pre-season training.

Joao Palhinha followed from Fulham on a four-year contract until June 2028 for £42.3m, plus £4.2m in add-ons. Michael Olise quickly followed, snapped up from Crystal Palace on a five-year deal.

A run of positive Bundesliga 2024 results have helped them build up a healthy early lead as Leverkusen and, particularly, Borussia Dortmund have dropped points. 

It’s all spearheaded by England captain Harry Kane, who ended his debut season only five short of equalling Robert Lewandowski’s 41-goal record in a single campaign. In total, he netted an impressive 44 goals in 45 games in all competitions for Bayern last season.

On Monday night, Kane landed the Gerd Müller Trophy as the top scorer in 2023/24, an award he shared with Kylian Mbappé.

England’s record goalscorer picked up the prestigious award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.

Few can compete with their strength but, while Bayern are leading the way at home, they have been on the wrong end of a few Champions League setbacks in recent weeks.

A 1-0 Champions League reverse at Aston Villa was one thing, but they were demolished 4-1 in Barcelona last week, a side they had beaten in their last six clashes, in a result which was either a one-off or shows that Vincent Kompany has much to do to secure the balance that his predecessor, Thomas Tuchel, managed in Europe last term.

Since becoming the first club from the former East Berlin and the sixth from the former East Germany to reach the top tier, Union have barely looked back.

That was until last season when they went from fourth place to 15^th in the league and naturally struggled in their first ever foray into the Champions League, gaining two points from six matches – albeit in a difficult group.

The club received a boost a few days ago when Danilho Doekhi extended his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season.

Many observers had assumed in the summer that Union may sell the towering defender or risk losing him for free.

During just over two years with the club, 26-year-old Danilho has developed into one of the best central backs in the Bundesliga.

He will be crucial as they attempt to keep Kane, Olise, and co. quiet.

 

History 

Since Union Berlin were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history five years ago, they have given Bayern a few tough games but have yet to be able to defeat them. 

10 meetings have featured three draws and seven victories for the Bavarians. 

Only one of those draws was on Munich soil – a 1-1 draw in April 2021 when Marcus Ingvartsen scored a late equaliser to cancel out a Jamal Musiala strike. 

Bayern edged this corresponding fixture last term when Raphaël Guerreiro netted the only goal of the game. 

However, they ran riot in the return when Kane claimed his 33rd league goal of the season and Thomas Muller scored twice in a 5-1 romp. 

 

Betting Tip

How can you not back Bayern Munich with the SBOTOP Bundesliga 2024 betting odds? If this fixture was in the capital, I may expect a close encounter in front of the passionate home fans.

At the Allianz Arena, though, I expect this to be a home win with a bit to spare – and so do my colleagues judging that you can get odds of 1X2 Bayern Munich @ 1.10 and Asian Handicap -2.25 @ 2.17, compared to Union Berlin 1X2 @ 10.00 and Asian Handicap +1.75 @ 2.29.

The draw @ 6.40 and a repeat of last season’s fixture, Correct Score 1-0, is on offer @ 9.80. I am opting for a home win and, as part of that, we should see some goals too.

   

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