Union Berlin Vs Schalke
Union Berlin Vs Schalke Saturday 13th February 2021 – 17:30 (BT Sport)
German Bundesliga
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 7/8
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 10th February 2021)
Preview: On each of the nine previous instances Schalke featured in Saturday’s prime tea-time slot, the Royal Blues have subsequently gone on to lose. So the alarm bells are ringing loud and clear ahead of their trip to the German capital to tackle this currently out-of-sorts Union Berlin side.
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Table of Contents
Union Berlin – Testing period for the Berliners?
The capital club come into Matchday 21, in what is only their second ever Bundesliga campaign, nine places and 21 points better off than Saturday’s opponent – a Schalke side on course to be regarded as the worst in Bundesliga history but against whom Union Berlin (W7 D8 L5) could only muster a 1-1 draw inside Veltins-Arena earlier in the season. Crucially, the club are 12 points clear of any relegation danger.
It is just as well that buffer to the relegation positions is so healthy because Urs Fischer’s side are currently in the midst of their poorest spell of the campaign. Last week’s 1-0 scoreline away at relegation-threatened Mainz, who sit directly above Schalke in the second automatic relegation spot, marked a third league defeat in four matches (D1 L3) since last seen winning at home to Leverkusen on 15 January.
All three losing efforts were on the road, though, whereas here at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei the team remain formidable adversaries. The last visiting team to get the better of them here were FC Augsburg, whose 3-1 victory on the opening weekend heralded in a nine-game unbeaten run which has seen them claim useful results against Bayern (1-1), Dortmund (2-1), Leverkusen (1-0) and Wolfsburg (2-2).
Schalke – Royal Blues firmly in last chance saloon?
With one Bundesliga victory to their name from their last 36 attempts, a nine point deficit between them and top-flight safety appears a gargantuan deficit in which to make up for a side which would need to start winning matches semi-frequently to avoid dropping down a division. In other words, time is well and truly of the essence as far as Schalke (W1 D5 L14) is concerned, with this latest assignment another must win.
However, since thrashing Hoffenheim 4-0 at Veltins-Arena in early January to quash a 30-game winless streak, the Royal Blues have picked up a meagre one point – in a 1-1 stalemate on the road at Werder Bremen – from the last fifteen available. It has admittedly been a tough schedule of late, yet their predicament is such that sooner or later they must start winning games regardless of the opposition.
Next week sees them host Dortmund in what could ultimately be the last Revierderby for quite some time. This weekend, however, they take on a Union Berlin outfit reeling from three defeats in their past four league matches. Conversely, Schalke are arguably the last team primed to seize the initiative: the men from Gelsenkirchen are without an away Bundesliga victory in their previous 20 attempts (D7 L13).
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Union Berlin Vs Schalke Betting Advice
In what will be their fifth ever meeting in a competitive setting, Union Berlin – nine places and 21 points better off at the start of play – will resume their search for a first victory over bottom club Schalke. The Royal Blues won each of the first two such meetings but have had to settle for a share of the spoils the last two times, one of which was the side’s 1-1 draw in Gelsenkirchen on Matchday 4.
Union Berlin Vs Schalke – Key Facts:
- The hosts are without defeat across their last nine Bundesliga home matches (D4 L5) whereas the visitors are without an away victory in the league for 488 days (D7 L13).
- One point and only two goals scored in the past four Bundesliga games for Union Berlin (D1 L3), taking on a Schalke side with one win all season and none in their last five attempts (D1 L4).
- Yet it is Schalke who have largely enjoyed previous head-to-head encounters, remaining unbeaten across all four prior competitive meetings (W2 D2) – drawing 1-1 on Matchday 4.
Despite failing to secure maximum points in their previous four league fixtures, Union Berlin are a daunting prospect on their own patch. The Berliners remain unbeaten in nine Bundesliga home matches (D4 L5), avoiding defeat there versus six of the current top-seven including leaders Bayern. Meanwhile, Schalke are winless on the road since November 2019 (D7 L13), though would at least score in five of the last six said fixtures (all five saw both teams score).
Best Betting Odds – Union Berlin Vs Schalke
Union Berlin – 4/5 (Betfair)
Draw – 13/5 (BetFred)
Schalke – 4/1 (Bet365)
