Wolfsburg welcomes Union Berlin to the Volkswagen Arena on October 6, 2019 as the German Bundesliga continues.
Wolfsburg
VFL Wolfsburg was established in 1945 and this club finished in 6th place during the 2018/19 Bundesliga season, thus automatically earning qualification for the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League. That was some kind of achievement for this club which finished in 16th place during the previous two Bundesliga seasons.
Wolfsburg has won the Bundesliga only once in their history, doing so in 2008/09 and their next best finish was as runners-up during the 2014/15 term. The Wolves have also won the DFB-Pokal once and the DFL-Supercup one time as well. But after selling 2014/15 German Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City for what is reportedly the Bundesliga record departure fee of €75 million, Wolfsburg has struggled. They head to this match as the soccer betting favorites against Union Berlin.
Wolfsburg is tied for 6th with a Goal Difference of +5 goals. They are ranked 9th in the Bundesliga with a total of nine goals on the season and they are the #1 team in the league in Goals Conceded with only four in six matches played. Wolfsburg’s 7 assists this season puts them in 9th spot in the passing department.
Wout Weghorst is off to a great start with three goals scored in six matches played. Josip Brekalo has two goals while Maximilian Arnold has one goal. Brekalo and Weghorst lead Wolfsburg with two assists each. Goalkeeper Koen Casteels has conceded two goals and has five saves in three appearances.
FC Union Berlin
FC Union Berlin was founded in 1966 although its predecessor, FC Olympia Oberschöneweide, was founded way back in 1906. With their chants of “Eisern Union” the fans of Union Berlin are one of the most enthusiastic and creative. This club spent most of its history playing the 3.Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga but after beating VfB Stuttgart in the 2019 relegation playoffs of the second tier, they booked their first ever trip to the top flight this season.
Union Berlin was German runners-up in 1923 and they are two-time winners of the DDR-Liga A and five-time winners of the DDR-Liga B. They have never won the title in the first two tiers of German football but were 3.Bundesliga winners in 2009. They finished 3rd in the 2.Bundesliga 2018-19 season and then earned promotion via the away goals rule after their two match set with Stuttgart ended in a 2-2 aggregate.
This club ranks 13th in Goal Difference at -6 goals. They are 15th overall in scoring with a total of six goals scored in seven matches played. Union Berlin has conceded a total of 13 goals which ranks them in 13th place in the German League. They are tied for 15th place with four assists this season.
Sebastian Andersson leads Union Berlin with three goals from six appearances. Marius Butler has a pair of scores while Anthony Ujah has found the back of the net once this season. Dutch forward Sheraldo Becker has two assists to lead the team while goal keeper Rafal Gikiwiecz has conceded 12 goals with 22 saves on the season.
Who Wins?
VfL Wolfsburg is unbeaten in six matches with a record of 3-3-0 SU. They have conceded only four goals in their last six matches across all competition. After three straight draws, Wolfsburg devoured Mainz 05 1-0 in their most recent match played. Wolfsburg is 1-2-0 SU in their last three games played at home.
FC Union Berlin is 15th in the current German Bundesliga table. They have a record of 1-1-4 SU after six rounds. After picking up their first win of the season against title contender Borussia Dortmund, Union Berlin has lost three consecutive matches, scoring just two goals during that period. In their most recent outing, Union Berlin lost to Eintracht Frankfurt 1-2.
Head to head, these two clubs have faced each other only thrice in their history. Each team has one win while the teams played to a draw in their other meeting. In the most recent encounter last July 27, 2019, theses teams played to a 1-1 draw.
I think Wolfsburg is a tough nut to crack at home and the best that Union Berlin can get here is a draw. However, when I look at the defense of both teams, Wolfsburg has a solid unit while Union Berlin is having trouble defending their net. Wolfsburg is also playing at their home field where they have not lost in three matches so far this season. I don’t think Union Berlin can stop Wolfsburg’s attack from scoring. Prediction: Wolfsburg