Union Berlin V Borussia Dortmund
Saturday 31st August 2019 – 17:30 Kick-Off
German Bundesliga
Pick: Borussia Dortmund & Both Teams to Score
Odds: 17/10
Bookmaker: Boylesports
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13/2 | 12/5 | 4/7 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 30th August 2019 at 00:20)
Preview: Last season’s runners-up in the Bundesliga make their way to the capital this weekend to face a Union Berlin who were humbled on their first home outing, with Borussia Dortmund the latest visitors to the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.
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Union Berlin Preview – The Iron Ones seeking monumental victory?
When you are a newly-promoted team, those first points of the campaign can seem elusive. It seemed like it might be a long wait for Union Berlin, the club competing in the top-flight of German football for the first time in its history who were emphatically beaten on their league debut. So for them to collect a share of the spoils on their second outing should have gone some way to easing any early anxiety.
Die Eisernen deserve huge credit for the way in which they responded to losing their very first Bundesliga fixture 4-0 to RB Leipzig, in front of their own fans no less. That was a chastening experience for Urs Fischer and his players who were second best throughout. To then earn a draw away to Augsburg, coming from a goal down to level proceedings late on through Sebastien Andersson, says a lot about the character of this team.
Another committed and spirited effort is required here, taking on a team widely regarded as a genuine challenger for the title. It is just as well then that Union Berlin possess some phenomenally strong numbers on their own patch lately. During last season’s Bundesliga 2 campaign, the capital club were beaten on only one occasion inside their own stadium as they finished with the best home record in the division (W11 D5 L1, GF34 GA11).
To further illustrate how much more effective Union Berlin were at home last term; this is a team which registered 11 of their 14 victories, scored 14 more goals, and conceded at half the rate at home when compared with on their travels. Their issue now will be replicating a similar level in the Bundesliga against superior sides, which, if first impressions are anything to go by, might be difficult.
Borussia Dortmund Preview – Sancho & Co. to blitz another victim?
After coming so close last season, and with the club putting its best foot forward in the summer transfer window to improve a squad that already possessed a high ceiling for potential, most people – myself very much included – were tipping Borussia Dortmund to mount an even stronger assault on Bayern’s Bundesliga dominance. Two games in and there hasn’t been much to suggest we were all wrong.
Six points from six. Eleven goals scored. Top of the Bundesliga. The latter is a shared honour with a handful of other teams in fairness, but it has still been a seamless start from Die Schwarzgelben. Well, almost. In both league games to date, Dortmund have gotten off to the worst possible start by conceding the opening goal. The response on both occasions was emphatic, scoring five and three goals without reply versus Augsburg (5-1) and FC Koln (1-3), respectively.
Sooner or later, though, a sluggish start will come back to bite them. That would appear a more likely scenario when playing away from home. The main reason Dortmund came up short last time around was due to some poor travelling tendencies; registering twelve fewer points (W9 D5 L3) as well as seeing a significant drop-off in their scoring output (from scoring 52 at home to just 29 away).
Even taking their away issues from the previous campaign into consideration, it still isn’t easy seeing beyond a Dortmund victory here. Those early performances looked fairly ominous. Jadon Sancho in particular has been in inspired form, with the England winger finding the back of the net in both league wins so far. The 9/5 with Betfair on the supremely talented 19-year-old scoring for the third match in a row seems a touch generous.
Union Berlin V Borussia Dortmund Key Facts:
- Union Berlin secured promotion from the Bundesliga 2 last season with the strongest home record in the division (W11 D5 L1).
- Borussia Dortmund have recorded high-scoring victories in both league games this season, winning with both teams on the scoresheet on each occasion.
- This will be the first meeting between these clubs in the German top-flight.
Betting Summary
Sometimes we cannot help but make reactionary assumptions about teams, especially when they lose their opening game by such a huge margin as Union Berlin did. That demoralising loss at home to RB Leipzig, though, was followed by a spirited display away to Augsburg to earn a draw. Their record at home in last season’s Bundesliga was the best in the division but, as we already discovered on Matchday One, reading too much into that could prove futile.
Dortmund were fully expected to begin with maximum points from their opening two games, to which they duly obliged by beating Augsburg 5-1 at home and FC Koln 3-1 away. They know there can be no let up, with a host of teams hot on their tails at this early stage, and so another blitz could be forthcoming from Lucien Favre’s side.
The pattern thus far has been Dortmund winning matches with lots of goals scored and with both teams on the scoresheet. Dortmund to WIN & Over 2.5 Match Goals is 3/4 with Coral, but the value punt has to be Dortmund & Both Teams to Score. Union Berlin were formidable at home en route to promotion last season and will be doubly determined to turn in a better showing after that harrowing opener.
