German Bundesliga - Union Berlin vs. Schalke 04 - Preview & Prediction

By Valdis Pans

Tenth-placed Schalke 04 will try to end a four-game losing skid while dropping by Germany’s capital, with 14th-placed Union Berlin currently finding themselves in a relegation battle. Kick-off - at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday, June 7.

Union Berlin Fail At Gladbach

Bundesliga newcomers Union Berlin lost for the fourth time on their last five tries (D1 L4) after following up the 1-1 home tie against Mainz on May 27 with a 4-1 beat-down at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach at Borussia-Park on Sunday. Sebastian Andersson scored the only snipe for the Iron Ones following a nifty combination during a free-kick to cut the hosts’ initial 2-0 lead in half before Gladbach netted twice more in the last 30 minutes of the game. Union Berlin have now gone six matches without a victory (D2 L4) after winning three of their previous five (W3 L2). The team is 14th in the Bundesliga (W9 D4 L16), sitting four points off the bottom-three.

Swedish forward Andersson leads the Iron Ones with 12 snipes, having netted a league-high seven headers so far this season. He has banked four strikes in his last six Bundesliga starts. Goalie Rafal Gikiewicz, meanwhile, sits 2nd in Germany’s top tier with 105 saves, with only Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer having turned away more shots (114). Gikiewicz has posted six clean sheets in 29 appearances this year and gives up a goal every 50 minutes.

Schalke Continue To Falter

Struggling Schalke 04 became the only side to have lost all four games since the Bundesliga restart after being edged out with a score of 1-0 by visiting Werder Bremen at Veltins-Arena on Saturday. The Royals Blues, who had dropped decisions versus Borussia Dortmund (4-0), Augsburg (3-0) and Fortuna Dusseldorf (2-1) ahead of the weekend, dominated in shots (12-6), but managed to deliver just a single attempt on target, with Benito Raman’s second-half effort saved. Schalke 04 are winless in 11 league outings (D4 L7), currently sitting 10th in the Bundesliga (W9 D10 L10), five points below the top-six.

The duo of Suat Serdar and Amine Harit, which leads Schalke 04 with seven and six goals respectively, is still out with injuries, leaving Belgian striker Raman as the team’s most productive attacking force with four markers. He has not, however, found the back of the net since scoring against Eintracht Frankfurt on Dec. 15, going 12 straight Bundesliga games without a snipe. Goalie Alexander Nubel, meanwhile, sits 14th in the league in saves, having stopped 67 shots throughout the ongoing campaign. He has six clean sheets in 21 appearances this year and allows a goal every 67 minutes of play.

Prediction

Union Berlin have not won for six straight games, losing four of them (D2 L4). Still, a bounce-back is definitely on the cards against Schalke 04, who have been absolutely horrid lately, currently riding a four-game losing run, having dropped six of their past seven decisions (D1 L6). Berlin lost in Gelsenkirchen 2-1 in the reverse fixture in November, but has definitely looked the better team of late out of these two and will need all three points to keep pace with other sides battling to avoid relegation.

Best Bet:

Union Berlin to win (+145)