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Leipzig logo
Bundesliga | Gameweek 31
Apr 23, 2022 at 2.30pm UK
Red Bull Arena
Union Berlin logo

RB Leipzig
1 - 2
Union Berlin

Poulsen (46')
Olmo (87'), Adams (90+6')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Michel (86'), Behrens (89')
Behrens (90+1'), Ronnow (90+4')

Preview: RB Leipzig vs. Union Berlin - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between RB Leipzig and Union Berlin, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

RB Leipzig and Union Berlin will meet for the second time in four days when they go head to head at the Red Bull Arena in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The two sides met in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals on Wednesday evening, with the hosts netting a stoppage-time winner to seal their progress to next month's final.


Match preview

RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku celebrates scoring their second goal on April 14, 2022© Reuters

Emil Forsberg was the hero on Wednesday, with the Swedish international coming off the bench to net that dramatic winner with a thumping header.

Leipzig had been left frustrated for much of the cup tie up to that point, with Union putting in a stubborn display to restrict their free-flowing hosts to very little.

However, the result extended Die Roten Bullen's winning streak to four matches in all competitions, and their unbeaten run to an impressive 15 matches.

Their last defeat came in a narrow 3-2 setback at league leaders Bayern Munich in February, with that loss being just one of two suffered under Domenico Tedesco.

The 36-year-old boss has enjoyed a hugely successful time with the Red Bull outfit since taking over in December, with a cup final on the horizon next month, and a Europa League semi-final tie with Rangers to look forward to next week.

Attentions and focus must switch back to the Bundesliga for the time being however, where Tedesco has overseen their climb up the table in the second half of the season, which has got their Champions League qualification goals back on track in the progress.

The 1-0 victory at fellow top-four hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen last weekend saw Leipzig leapfrog Die Werkself into third place, with a three-point advantage being opened up in recent weeks over fifth-placed Freiburg.

The big games keep on coming for Saturday's hosts as they continue their fight on three fronts in the final few weeks of the campaign, with another fixture against Union no exception either.

Union Berlin's Genki Haraguchi celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on April 9, 2022© Reuters

Meanwhile, Union will be looking for revenge when they make their second trip to the Red Bull Arena in the space of a week.

Being knocked out at the semi-finals stage of the DFB-Pokal in stoppage time is certainly a tough one to take, especially when Sheraldo Becker's early goal is taken into account, which provided Union with the lead for a significant amount of time in the tie.

Urs Fischer's men can still enjoy a successful end to the campaign though, with last weekend's 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt being their third successive win in the Bundesliga, and it was one that saw them climb up to sixth place in the table.

With only five points separating Die Eisernen from Leverkusen in fourth, their slim hopes of reaching next season's Champions League remain alive, particularly given the drop off in form by Gerardo Seoane's side of late.

Another daunting trip to Leipzig could stop them in their tracks again though, with Wednesday's defeat at the Red Bull Arena meaning they have now lost on all five of their previous trips to the venue.

In fact, ever since returning to the Bundesliga in the 2019-20 campaign, Union's away form has held them back, and with just four victories on the road in the league this season, the odds will be against them once more at the weekend.

RB Leipzig Bundesliga form:
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W

RB Leipzig form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W

Union Berlin form (all competitions):
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L



Team News

RB Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco on April 7, 2022© Reuters

The hectic fixture congestion has done little to impact Leipzig's performances and results of late, with Tedesco having great strength in depth, which allows him to continue rotating his starting lineup.

Despite registering 30 goals and 16 assists in 45 games this season, Christopher Nkunku could be one of those rotated after playing the full 90 minutes in midweek, with the Frenchman also being restricted to an appearance off the bench at Leverkusen last weekend.

Amadou Haidara is the only confirmed absentee for the hosts, although Lukas Klostermann could be unavailable once more after missing the cup victory due to COVID-19.

As for the visitors, first-choice goalkeeper Andreas Luthe remains a doubt for the trip due to the muscular problem that has seen him miss the last four fixtures.

Frederik Ronnow has impressed in his place however, and looks set to continue between the posts on Saturday.

The only other absence for Fischer to contend with is that of Timo Baumgartl, with the defender's fifth yellow card of the season last weekend seeing him ruled out due to a one-match suspension.

Dominique Heintz should come into the back three in his place, whilst Niko Giesselmann is expected to dislodge Bastian Oczipka in the wing-back role after being rested in midweek.

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Simakan, Orban, Gvardiol; Henrichs, Laimer, Kampl, Angelino; Forsberg; Nkunku, Silva

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Ronnow; Jaeckel, Knoche, Heintz; Trimmel, Haraguchi, Khedira, Promel, Giesselmann; Becker, Awoniyi


SM words green background

We say: RB Leipzig 3-1 Union Berlin

As was the case in midweek, we can see Leipzig coming out on top here against a visiting Union side that lacks the same quality and intensity when playing on the road.

The late winner on Wednesday is sure to give the hosts a huge psychological advantage over their opponents too, and with the excellent form that they find themselves in during 2022, it is difficult to see many being able to stop them extending their unbeaten run.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a RB Leipzig win with a probability of 69.38%. A draw had a probability of 18.1% and a win for Union Berlin had a probability of 12.55%.

The most likely scoreline for a RB Leipzig win was 2-0 with a probability of 11.39%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (10.05%) and 2-1 (9.67%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.54%), while for a Union Berlin win it was 0-1 (3.77%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 3.6% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: RB Leipzig vs Union Berlin

RB Leipzig
79.2%
Draw
8.3%
Union Berlin
12.5%
72
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen26224066184870
2Bayern MunichBayern26193478314760
3Stuttgart26182660312956
4Borussia DortmundDortmund26148453322150
5RB Leipzig26154760322849
6Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt26101064235740
7Augsburg269894342135
8Hoffenheim2696114450-633
9Freiburg2696113648-1233
10Werder Bremen2686123541-630
11Heidenheim2678113544-929
12Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach26610104650-428
13Union BerlinUnion Berlin2684142542-1728
14Wolfsburg2667133144-1325
15VfL BochumVfL Bochum26510113054-2425
16Mainz 05Mainz26310132246-2419
17FC Koln2639142047-2718
18SV Darmstadt 98Darmstadt2627172665-3913


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