VfL Bochum – Union Berlin
Football in the continental competitions is now in the winter break and we now know all the teams that have reached the knockout phase. The only German team not to make it out of their group in the Champions League will be in action in the Bundesliga conference on Saturday. The Irons will then travel to Castroper Straße for a clash with VfL Bochum. Find out who will come out on top in this extremely important encounter in our Bochum – Union betting tip.
The hosts from the deep west will be looking to build on their strong home record. Bochum are currently without a defeat at home in three games and have only conceded one defeat on home turf this season.
Union, on the other hand, have only picked up one three-pointer away from home this season. However, the team from Köpenick has not lost in the league since the departure of successful coach Urs Fischer. FCU also put up a strong fight in the top flight on Tuesday, narrowly losing 3:2 to Real Madrid
Bochum – Union Info:
- Date & Time: 16.12.2023, 3:30 pm
- Playing venue: Vonovia Ruhrstadion, Bochum
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 15
- TV broadcast: Sky
Bochum Form & Balance Check
Bochum are currently in the German top flight for the third season in a row. The only thing on the agenda deep in the west this year is to avoid dropping into Bundesliga 2. However, VfL suffered a minor setback in the previous week. Coach Letsch’s team lost 3:1 at TSG Hoffenheim.
Before that, however, Bochum had managed to go five games without defeat. The last defeat at home in the Ruhrstadion even dates back to September. After 14 games, VfL are 14th in the table and four points clear of the first direct relegation spot
Difficult to beat
VfL Bochum are extremely difficult to beat this season. The men from Castroper Straße have only conceded five defeats in their first 14 games. Only six teams in the German top flight have lost less often. However, coach Thomas Letsch’s team have only celebrated two victories.
In this statistic, only FSV Mainz 05 are worse in the league comparison, having only won once. As a result, Bochum have already shared the points seven times this season. No other team has managed this to such an extent. Accordingly, the men from Castroper Straße are the kings of draws in the Bundesliga
Bochum facts & analysis
- First two wins this season
- Lost 3-1 to Hoffenheim in the previous week
- In 14th place in the Bundesliga
Union Form & Balance Check
Even the most pessimistic Union supporter would probably not have thought the season to date possible. After a good start to the season, the Irons stumbled from defeat to defeat and quickly found themselves at the bottom of the table. After the ninth Bundesliga defeat in a row, coach Urs Fischer also had to resign.
The Swiss had previously coached the Köpenickers for almost 2,000 days. Since parting ways with the long-serving coach, however, things have improved at FCU. Under new coach Nenad Bjelica, Union even picked up their third win of the season in the previous week, leaving the relegation places for the first time since the beginning of November
Quad at the Wuhle
The signing of Nenad Bjelica also brought with it a change of system. The Croatian had previously played his team almost exclusively with a back four. This is a complete revolution in Köpenick. The last time FCU played with a back four was in the 2020/21 season, but at that time they were already playing with a back three more often.
The last season in which the Ironmen played almost exclusively with four players in defence was the 2018/19 promotion season. Some players in the Köpenick squad were also brought in especially for the established system and now have to reorient themselves. It will be exciting to see whether there will be some departures from FCU in the winter for this reason
Union facts & analysis
- In 15th place in the Bundesliga table
- Unbeaten in the league for the last two games in a row
- Out of Group C of the Champions League as bottom of the table
Predicted line-up – last update on December 14, 2023
We expect Bochum to play a 4-3-3 again on Saturday. After his goal against Hoffenheim after coming on as a substitute, Gonçalo Paciência could be in the starting line-up this time. Keven Schlotterbeck will also return from his yellow card suspension.
Meanwhile, we expect Union to return to a 4-2-3-1. Benedict Hollerbach and Mikkel Kaufmann, who were ineligible for the Champions League, could get their chance in the starting eleven on Saturday. Danilho Doekhi, on the other hand, is still missing with injury
Bochum – Union head-to-head & stats
Union Berlin have won 13 of their 25 encounters with VfL Bochum. Bochum, on the other hand, have only managed to win eight times against the Irons. However, the team from Castroper Straße have only left the pitch victorious in one of the last seven meetings with Union. That three-pointer came in the last home game, when Bochum defeated the Irons 2:1
- Union have won just one of their last seven games in Bochum
- Did you know that Bochum score 27% of their goals between the 16-30 minute mark?
- Three points separate the two teams in the league
