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SC Freiburg vs. Union Berlin
Christian Günter of SC Freiburg will also be heading to the World Cup for Germany. However, before the left-back leaves for Qatar with the DFB, the 29-year-old has to play one more game in the Bundesliga with his Sport-Club. The upcoming home match against 1. FC Union is not only the last one before the winter break, but also marks the end of the English week.
The Breisgau side also had to cope with three games in seven days in the Bundesliga. After coach Christian Streich’s team started the English week last weekend with a 2-0 win over 1. FC Köln, a 1:3 defeat at RB Leipzig followed on Wednesday. The Freiburg side will be looking to prove against Union that they will not let such a result deter them from their path.
The team from Köpenick did not win on Wednesday either. Coach Urs Fischer’s team drew 2-2 with FC Augsburg after a 5-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen. Despite these two very poor results, the Eisern are still in 2nd place. They will have to defend this position in Breisgau, as Freiburg could overtake Union with a win over their guest. Both teams are level on points before kick-off. Who is more likely to go into the winter break behind FC Bayern in the table, you can read in our Freiburg – Union betting tip.
Freiburg – Union info:
– Date & Time: 13.11.2022, 17:30 Uhr
– Venue: Europa-Park, Freiburg
– Competition: Bundesliga, 15th matchday
– TV broadcast: DAZN
Freiburg Form & Balance Check
SC Freiburg have a great chance to go into the winter break in second place in the table and thus as Bayern’s No. 1 chaser. To do so, it needs a home win over Union from the capital. However, Sport-Club will go into Sunday’s game with a defeat behind them, as coach Christian Streich’s side suffered their third defeat of the season on Wednesday night with a 3-1 loss in Leipzig. However, Freiburg showed that they know how to respond to negative results with three points after their 5-0 defeat at FC Bayern on matchday 10. The European Cup participant then won three games in a row with 2:0 each. Bremen, Schalke and Cologne lost to SC.
Defensive remains stable
Freiburg have one of the best defences in the Bundesliga, as the SC proved once again in their 2-0 victories over Bremen, Schalke and Cologne. Keeper Flekken managed to keep his box clean eight times. That is a top score in the Bundesliga. Although the total of eight goals conceded by Freiburg against Bayern and Leipzig means that they have now conceded 16, without these two games they would only have conceded eight goals in twelve games. Looking at the home record, the Breisgauer only conceded four goals in six home games.
Freiburg facts & analysis
– Freiburg are in 3rd place in the table with 27 points.
– SC last lost with 1:3 in Leipzig
– The Breisgauer won three home games in a row
Union Form & Balance Check
The double burden of the Europa League is becoming more and more noticeable for Union Berlin. The fact that the Eisernen conceded seven goals in the last two matches cannot be explained by anything other than the high workload resulting from the international matches during the week. Before that, coach Urs Fischer’s team had conceded only nine goals in twelve games.
The fact that the Köpenickers are becoming noticeably more inconsistent was already apparent before the 5-0 defeat in Leverkusen. Already in Bochum on matchday 11, Union lost 1:2. On Wednesday, the team from Köpenick improved again against FC Augsburg. However, Union twice gave away the lead, so that the match ended in a 2:2 draw. Thus, the Eisernen won only one of the last four games.
Much more vulnerable away from home
With ten points from seven away games, coach Fischer’s team is a solid visiting side this season. Before the two away defeats in Bochum and Leverkusen, Union had already won three times away from home. However, the defence is much more vulnerable when it comes to away games. FCU conceded ten of its 16 goals on foreign soil. Before the defeats at VfL and Werkself, however, the Eisernen conceded only three goals in five away appearances. But numbers do not lie. The offence also feels more comfortable at the Alte Försterei. Union scored only nine of their 23 goals as guests this season. The recent performances in Breisgau will be encouraging. FCU won three of their last four away games in the Black Forest.
Union facts & analysis
– Union are in 2nd place in the table with 27 points.
– FCU last played only 2:2 draw against Augsburg
– The Eisernen lost two away games in a row
Predicted line-up – last update on 11 November 2022
Coach Christian Streich recently revealed in a conversation with midfielder Toni Kroos that he no longer felt like getting involved in Union Berlin’s games. The 57-year-old was fed up with the defensive tactics of the Eisernen and saw no way through in the penultimate encounter with his own 4-2-3-1 tactics. Therefore, Streich changed his approach in the run-up to the last duel and mirrored the Unioner’s system. On Sunday, too, it can be assumed that Freiburg will operate in a 5-3-2 formation, just like the visitors.
In terms of personnel, the SC coach will rely on his captain and World Cup participant Günter to hold the defence together with Ginter, who is also travelling to Qatar for Germany. Gregoritsch and Doan are expected to provide the goals.
Union Berlin have never played anything other than a 5-3-2 system under coach Urs Fischer in the Bundesliga. Khedira is suspended, goalkeeper Rönnow, the No. 1, is missing due to a muscle injury in his thigh, and Schäfer is also out with a foot injury. Rönnow is currently replaced by Grill, who does not look stable. Confidence in striker Becker remains unbroken. With his speed, the Dutchman should overrun the Freiburg defence.
Freiburg – Union direct comparison & statistics
Union Berlin won their last meeting by a clear 4:1 margin. Freiburg have now won four meetings with the Köpenickers. Of a total of twelve encounters, FCU have won five, while SC have only won four.
– Freiburg won only one of the last eight games against Union.
– Union won two away games in a row in Breisgau.
– Six times this duel has taken place in Freiburg – Five times at least three goals were scored.
– Freiburg went without a goal of their own in only one home match against Union.