Union Berlin head into their Bundesliga encounter with Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday looking to extend their unbeaten record to six matches.
Meanwhile, Arminia Bielefeld make the trip to Stadion An der Alten Forsterei on the back of four consecutive league defeats, conceding nine goals in the process.
Match preview
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Since losing on the opening day of the 2020-21 campaign to Augsburg, Union Berlin have gone from strength to strength, extending their run to five matches without defeat and climbing to eighth in the Bundesliga table.
Die Eisernen secured an impressive 3-1 away victory at Hoffenheim on Monday night in a game where chances were at a premium.
The sending off of first-half substitute Robert Skov, who bundled over striker Taiwo Awoniyi inside the penalty area, seemed to have changed the game, with a Max Kruse-inspired performance rubbing more salt into Hoffenheim's wounds.
Kruse's spot-kick as well as two assists laid on for Joel Pohjanpalo and Cedric Teuchert late in the game secured the three points for Union Berlin.
Another league victory on Saturday could move Urs Fischer's side as high as fourth in the Bundesliga table.
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After collecting just four points from their opening two Bundesliga matches this season, Arminia Bielefeld are still adjusting to life back in the top flight after 11 years away.
Die Blauen have suffered four consecutive defeats – including last weekend's 2-0 home loss to Borussia Dortmund – which sees them sit just above the relegation playoff zone in 15th place. Arminia have only had fewer points in the top flight after six games in 1996-97, when their total then was just three.
Manager Uwe Neuhaus has seen his side struggle for goals this campaign after netting only four times so far - only Schalke 04 have scored fewer with three.
Club legend Fabian Klos is yet to score at this level having been the club's top goalscorer in eight of the last nine seasons in the lower divisions, leaving the 32-year-old German desperate to get off the mark in the Bundesliga.
Neuhaus will face his former club this weekend – a club he coached between 2007 and 2014 – and a win against Union Berlin could see Arminia move up two places to 13th in the table.
Union Berlin Bundesliga form: LDWDDW
Union Berlin form (all competitions): LDWDDW
Arminia Bielefeld Bundesliga form: DWLLLL
Arminia Bielefeld form (all competitions): DWLLLL
Team News
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Goalkeeper Loris Karius (foot) – on loan from Liverpool – and striker Anthony Ujah (knee) remain sidelined for Union Berlin, with both players yet to make an appearance for the club this campaign.
35-year-old midfielder Christian Genter is likely to remain in the starting lineup alongside Sebastian Griesbeck, with Robert Andrich playing further forward.
Max Kruse and Joel Pohjanpalo, who both scored on Monday night against Hoffenheim, are set to remain in attack.
Arminia Bielefeld forward Andreas Voglsammer remains injured with a hairline fracture of the foot.
Cedric Brunner and Nathan de Medina will be competing with one another for a place in the starting XI at right-back.
Forward Sven Schipplock, who came on as a substitute to score against Wolfsburg two weeks ago, is likely to start the match from the bench once again.
Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Luthe; Friedrich, Knoche, Schlotterbeck; Trimmel, Genter, Griesbeck, Lenz; Andrich; Kruse, Pohjanpalo
Arminia Bielefeld possible starting lineup:
Ortega; De Medina, Pieper, Van der Hoorn, Lucoqui; Prietl, Hartel; Cordova, Doan, Soukou; Klos
We say: Union Berlin 3-1 Arminia Bielefeld
The last four meetings between the two sides have finished as 1-1 draws but with the home side in good form, scoring in all eight of their matches in all competitions this campaign, and with the visitors still adjusting to life back in the top flight, Union Berlin should be able to secure their third Bundesliga victory.
Top betting 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:dataData 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 Union Berlin win with a probability of 43.17%. A win for Arminia Bielefeld had a probability of 30.34% and a draw had a probability of 26.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Union Berlin win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.13%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.83%) and 2-0 (7.81%). The likeliest Arminia Bielefeld win was 0-1 (8.97%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.59%). The actual scoreline of 5-0 was predicted with a 0.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Union Berlin would win this match.
