Bundesliga: RB Leipzig Must End Their Skid Against Union Berlin

RB Leipzig vs Union Berlin

RB Leipzig are off to a horrific start this 2024, as they have lost three in a row here in the Bundesliga. As a result, the Red Bulls have fallen out of the top four, sitting in fifth place with 33 points.

Needless to say, they must get back on track as soon as possible, and their upcoming game against Union Berlin presents their best chance of doing so, especially with the match happening at Red Bull Arena.

Union Berlin are currently 15^th in the German top-flight table, but they have one foot in the relegation zone, which is a huge downgrade from their fourth place finish last term.

But unlike RB Leipzig, Die Eisernen are not on a three-game losing streak and are fresh from a 1-0 victory against Darmstadt.

Talking Points

Rose makes key goalkeeper decision for RB Leipzig

In their ongoing three-game skid, RB Leipzig have conceded an alarming total of nine goals against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, and VfB Stuttgart, which is why head coach Marco Rose decided to make one key change in his starting XI.

During their pre-match press conference on Friday, the 47-year-old manager revealed that Peter Gulacsi will replace Janis Blaswich in goal in an attempt to mix things up at the back.

Gulacsi has been RB Leipzig’s main man between the sticks in the last few years but was displaced by Blaswich this season. Gulacsi last started in goal for the Red Bulls during their 2-1 win over Young Boys in their Champions League group stage match in December.

Prior to their slump, Janis Blaswich had been in fine form, as he even earned a call-up from the Germany national team during their November exhibition matches.

In other team news, Xavi Simons is going to make his comeback after he served his mandatory one-game ban against VfB Stuttgart. The PSG loanee is the team’s best playmaker this season with nine assists, and he also has seven goals under his belt.

Union Berlin introduce their new hit man

It’s no secret that Union Berlin are in dire need of a spark, and they’re hoping to get that from their latest acquisition, Chris Bedia.

With Sheraldo Becker and David Datro Fofana joining Real Sociedad and Burnley, respectively, during the winter transfer window, the addition of Chris Bedia could surely make up for Die Eisernen’s losses.

Bedia joins Union Berlin in red-hot form because he was the Swiss Super League Golden Boot frontrunner at the midway point of the season.

In his 17 league appearances for Servette, the Ivorian striker registered 10 goals, and he even managed to score against Sheriff Tiraspol and AS Roma in the Europa League.

Head coach Danijel Jumic likes to play a 3-5-2 formation, so Chris Bedia will likely join Kevin Volland, who has recovered from a concussion, up front on his Bundesliga debut.

History

Union Berlin were off to a flying start this 2023-24 campaign when they demolished Mainz and Darmstadt with back-to-back 4-1 results.

However, things started to go downhill from there, starting with their 3-0 loss against RB Leipzig at home in September, as they’ve never won a single game up until their 3-1 victory against Borussia Monchengladbach in December.

In their reverse fixture, Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko (brace) found the back of the net for RB Leipzig, while Union Berlin were reduced to 10 men when Kevin Volland was sent off in the second half.

Before Sunday, the Red Bulls had lost five of their last six Bundesliga matches against Die Eisernen (W1), and they are the only Bundesliga club that has yet to claim a point this calendar year, given their lacklustre run of Bundesliga 2024 results.

RB Leipzig have never lost four consecutive Bundesliga matches.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Bundesliga 2024 odds like RB Leipzig’s chances to end their skid, as they are installed as 1.34 favourites, whereas Union Berlin are 7.20 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.62 in the 1X2 market.

And RB Leipzig are going to win by scoring a bunch of goals, hence our recommended bet. However, don’t expect them to come away with a clean sheet on this one.

For alternatives, Total Goal 2-3 at 2.02 sounds viable, while Total Goal 4-6 at 2.71 is another bet to consider.

If you’re looking for another blowout victory for the hosts, then check out Correct Score 3-0 in favour of RB Leipzig, the same exact result in their reverse fixture, because it is on offer at 9.20.

 

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