Loris Karius rescued Schalke last weekend against Bayern Munich, when their back line looked very leaky. I will back Union Berlin to capitalize on that and earn their first victory of the season.
Key Stats
- Union Berlin have won 3 of their last 5 matches.
- Schalke have lost 3 of their last 5 matches (including pre-season).
Schalke Edge H2H
This is going to be the 8th time these two teams lock horns and a majority of previous games ended without a winner (4 out of 7), while Schalke lead 2-1 in terms of victories.
Hosts Tagged Light Favorites
Union Berlin appointed Mauro Lustrinelli as the new head manager earlier this summer and beat Braunschweig 4-2 in their season-opening match in the German Cup.
Their results in the Bundesliga haven't been great though, barely snatching a point at home in the first round against Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to Tim Skarke's stoppage time equalizer.
The Iron Ones were smashed last weekend in Leverkusen by Bayer 4-0, ending this clash with 0.40 expected goals, 36% possession and zero shots on target.
Schalke Yet to Score in the Bundesliga
Schalke had a rocky start to the new campaign, needing extra-time to eliminate a tier three side Hallescher 5-2 in the German Cup. Veteran Edin Dzeko saved the day, netting two goals.
Their first Bundesliga match after a three-year absence was quite disappointing, losing 3-0 to Augsburg while missing series of chances (had 2.10 expected goals and 11 shots). Striker Moussa Sylla had two huge opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
Last weekend, the Miners were tagged massive underdogs against Bayern Munich but held them to a goalless draw in Gelsenkirchen. Goalkeeper Loris Karius was named man of the match after making five huge saves.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Union Berlin (4-4-2) Frederik Ronnow; Josip Juranovic, Leopold Querfeld, Felix Uduokhai, Tom Rothe; Michel Aebischer, Rani Khedira, Aljoscha Kemlein, Livan Burcu; Emmanuel Latte Lath, Marin Ljubicic
The hosts enter this fixture contending with several squad absences, as Marvin Friedrich, Andrej Ilic, Stanley Nsoki, Oliver Burke, and Andrik Markgraf remain ruled out through injury, while Kastriot Imeri remains doubtful.
The hosts enter this fixture contending with several squad absences, as Marvin Friedrich, Andrej Ilic, Stanley Nsoki, Oliver Burke, and Andrik Markgraf remain ruled out through injury, while Kastriot Imeri remains doubtful.
Schalke (3-4-3) Loris Karius; Timo Becker, Nikola Katic, Hasan Kurucay; Junior Dina Ebimbe, Soufiane El-Faouzi, Satoshi Tanaka, Robin Gosens; Dejan Ljubicic, Moussa Sylla, Adil Aouchiche
Ron Schallenberg is suspended, while Bryan Lasme, Emil Hojlund and Adrian Gantenbein face late fitness evaluations.