Union Berlin vs Hoffenheim prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-09-22 13:30.
Manager Urs Fischer will be hoping itâs not a case of âafter the Lord Mayorâs showâ for Union Berlin as they return to Bundesliga action. The Iron Ones made their UEFA Champions League debut against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, and only a last-gasp goal from Jude Bellingham prevented them from picking up a hard-earned point as they fell to a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat.
Fischer claimed he was âproudâ of his sideâs performance, but may be concerned at how such a sucker-punch will affect the players. Ultimately, it handed his team a third successive defeat across all competitions for the first time since February 2022, so he will be desperate for a return to form as Union look to build on last seasonâs impressive fourth-placed finish.
Hoping to capitalise on the hostsâ struggles are visitors Hoffenheim, who have made a strong start to the campaign as they look to bounce back from their disappointing 12th placed finish in 2022/23. The Blues have won three of their four top-flight fixtures (L1), but given they achieved the same feat in last season, fans may not be getting carried away with dreams of qualifying for Europe just yet.
Manager Pellegrino Matarazzo is confident history wonât repeat itself, insisting his players have shown they âwant to achieve somethingâ through the way they have opened the campaign. He was particularly impressed with the 3-1 victory at Cologne last weekend, when Hoffenheim opened the scoring in a game for the first time this season, with the boss saying they showed they can win âthe dirty way.â
Key battle: Union Berlin defender Robin Knoche has not kept a clean sheet in his last nine H2Hs, but remarkably remains unbeaten over that period (W5, D4). Looking to help end that might be Hoffenheimâs Maximilian Beier, who comes into this fixture having scored in three successive league appearances for the second time in his career, with each of those strikes coming after HT.
Hot stat: Hoffenheim are the only team in the division to see both teams score in each of the opening four rounds this season.