FC Union Berlin and FSV Mainz 05 meet in a match from the 28th round of the Bundesliga. The match will be played on Wednesday, from 19:30, on An der Alten Forsterei Stadium, without spectators.
During this season’s tour, the two bands gave a real show on the Opel Arena. After 51 minutes, Union had a three-goal lead. The FSV had a burst of pride in the last 10 minutes, but it was not enough to get something from that game, one lost with the score of 2-3.
The Berlin band seeks to interrupt an inexplicable series of four failures in a row. Such a period might seem normal for a newly promoted team, but not for a team that, this season, recorded victories against top 5 teams, Borussia Dortmund (3-1) and Borussia Monchengladbach (2- 0), both being obtained on own land.
Union comes to this duel after four defeats in a row, the last three coming in the Bundesliga. In the previous stage, they lost with a definite 0-4 in the Berlin derby, the game in which they sent zero shots on goal space.
Also, FSV presents itself in Berlin after the humiliation suffered on its own field in front of those from Leipzig. The irony made the final result of the match to be the one on the club’s logo, 0-5. The failure of Mainz allowed Fortune Dusseldorf to come close to just three points behind the last place in the Bundesliga, currently occupied by Achim Beierlorzer’s team.
The disastrous score recorded in the match with Leipzig left deep traces in the camp of Mainz. At the start of the 28th round, FSV will be the team with the most modest defense in the Bundesliga, with 60 goals conceded. Union Berlin can not boast a brilliant defense, at least not in the last three stages, in which they recorded an average of three goals conceded per game.
The game of Union does not impress even on their own field. In four of the last five stages played at home, Urs Fischer’s team received at least two goals per game. The hosts start with a slight advantage in this game, this being due to the advantage offered by their own field, despite the empty stands. We bet on at least one goal scored in the first half, but also on at least one point obtained by the hosts, in a match with at least two changes to the table.
-The two teams met seven times, Mainz being in the lead, with four victories and only two defeats;
-All three direct disputes in Berlin were played in the second league (one victory for Mainz, one for Union and a draw);
-In 8 of the 13 away games this season, Mainz have conceded at least two goals;
-Union has a perfectly balanced balance on its own field, with 6 victories, 6 defeats and a draw, with 18 goals scored and as many received;
-Robin Quaison (Mainz) is the 4th best scorer of the current season in the Bundesliga, with 12 goals;
Union Berlin: Gikiewicz – Subotic, Schlotterbeck, Friedrich – Trimmel, Gentner, Andrich, Lenz – Malli, Bulter – Andersson;
Absent: Sheraldo Becker (injured), Akaki Gogia, Christopher Lenz (uncertain);
Coach: Urs Fischer;
Mainz: Muller – Baku, Niakhate, Juste, Brosinski – Boetius, Latza, Kunde, Oztunali – Quaison – Mateta;
Absent: Robin Zentner (injured);
Coach: Achim Beierlorzer;
PREDICTION: Over 2,5 goals @ 1,81
