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Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Union Berlin
The 20th matchday of the Bundesliga is just around the corner and for the Foals from Mönchengladbach there is an expected very difficult home match on the agenda. Their opponents at Borussia Park this Saturday afternoon are currently the longest unbeaten team in the Bundesliga – 1. FC Union Berlin. The match will kick off at 3:30 pm.
During the week, both teams were still in action in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup. While the Berliners qualified for the quarter-finals with a furious 2:3 derby win at Hertha BSC, Borussia was eliminated 3:0 by second-division Hannover 96. Whether we expect these trends to continue in the league and what other predictions we would make for this clash is now revealed in our Gladbach vs Union Berlin tip.
Gladbach -Union Berlin Info
– Date & Time: 22.01.2022, at 15:30 hrs.
– Venue: Mönchengladbach, Borussia Park (up to 60,000 spectators)
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 20
– TV broadcast: Sky Sport Bundesliga
Gladbach -Union Berlin Tip
The starting situations could hardly be more different. While Union is on cloud nine after the derby win in the cup and a strong eight points from the last four Bundesliga games, Gladbach’s house is already in trouble again. The year started very well with the 1:2 away win at Bayern, but this success could not be confirmed in the next two matches. The Foals lost 1:2 against Leverkusen and the cup match at Hannover 96 also went badly wrong. It is hard to imagine that Adi Hütter’s team will be able to get back on track in their current form against the in-form capital city side.
Gladbach Form & Balance Check
After the clear cup defeat at Hannover 96, the Foals from Mönchengladbach have finally arrived in the next crisis of the 21/22 season. The interim upward trend (1:1 vs. Hoffenheim, 1:2 win at Bayern) was thus only of very short duration and at the moment it really doesn’t look as if Adi Hütter’s eleven could make a consolidated impression again in the near future. A look at the bare figures should really frighten all supporters of the Foals. Gladbach have lost their past three Bundesliga home games, conceding eleven goals in the process, after going the first six home games of the season without defeat.
Do the Foals even slip into the relegation battle?
This season, Mönchengladbach’s defence has not exactly made a Bundesliga-ready impression. 35 goals have already been conceded despite numerous brilliant performances by goalkeeper Yann Sommer – the last time this number was conceded after 19 matchdays was eleven years ago. In addition, 22 points from 19 games is the worst tally since the 2011/12 season, when they had only 13 points on their account and only managed to stay in the relegation zone. For the clash with Union, hopes are now pinned on Marcus Thuram, who is still without a goal this Bundesliga season but has not scored more often against any team in his Bundesliga career than against Union (3 times).
Gladbach facts & analysis
– 22 points from 19 games
– Last lost 3:0 in Hannover
– Lost last 3 home games – previously 6 home games without defeat
– Still unbeaten at home against Union though (1S, 1U)
Union Berlin Form & Balance Check
You can only take your hat off to the work done at Union Berlin! By qualifying for the Conference League, the Berliners already achieved great things last season. But anyone who thought that the Eisernen had reached their zenith and would be in the relegation battle this season due to the double burden was really mistaken. With 31 points from 19 games, last year’s haul was even surpassed by two points at this point and there is virtually nothing to suggest that the capital city side will not be able to maintain these performances over the rest of the season.
Union is the epitome of a team
Even the absence of their top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi (Africa Cup) is hardly noticeable to the Berliners. That is precisely what makes the likeable club from the eastern part of the capital so strong. Urs Fischer’s team has an absolutely stable basic structure in which everyone knows his or her job and in which individual players can be replaced again and again without any loss of quality or commitment. It is not for nothing that Union is the team with the most run in the league, just behind Arminia Bielefeld and Eintracht Frankfurt. From a neutral point of view, one can be extremely curious to see where the journey of 1. FC Union Berlin will go in the coming years.
Union Berlin Facts & Analysis
– 31 points from 19 games
– Last win 2:3 at Hertha BSC
– 4 Bundesliga games unbeaten – currently longest streak in the league
– So far always scored against Gladbach
Predicted line-up – last update on 21 January 2022
In the line-up of the Foals, many positions are not yet certain. Jantschke could also play in central defence instead of Ginter. A switch to a four-man defence is also conceivable, in which Patrick Herrmann would replace the third centre-back as a right-winger, so to speak. Besides Koné, Kramer, Zakaria or Benes could play in central midfield. On the left side, it will be a duel between Scally and Netz. The recovered Hofmann could possibly play in the attacking midfield.
On the other hand, the visitors’ side is largely clear. Only on the offensive side, with Becker, Haraguchi, Behrens and Voglsammer, are there four players for two positions, all of whom could play. It is also questionable whether Gießelmann or Oczipka will play on the left. On the right side we expect captain Christopher Trimmel back, who was already substituted against Hertha in the cup.
A disappointing performance in Hannover. We’re out of the cup DieFohlen H96BMG 3-0 pic.twitter.com/wJIwTPKb3t
– Gladbach (@borussia_en) January 19, 2022
Gladbach -Union Berlin direct comparison & Statistics
The still young direct comparison is surprisingly clearly in favour of the visitors, who have won three of the previous six duels. Two encounters ended in a draw and only once have the Foals emerged victorious. Most recently, two 1-1 draws in a row were followed by a 2-1 home win for the Eisern.
– The comparisons between the two clubs last season: 1-1 (home draw for Borussia Mönchengladbach) and 1-1 (home draw for Union Berlin).
– Did you know that Borussia Mönchengladbach scores 32% of its goals between the 31-45 minute? That is the highest value in the league.
– Watch out, goals are likely to be scored today: Borussia Mönchengladbach have conceded one goal in each of their last 8 matches.
– A year ago, Borussia Mönchengladbach was in 7th position in the table with 32 points. Currently they are in position 12 (22).
