RB Leipzig vs Union Berlin

Sunday’s Bundesliga encounter between RB Leipzig and Union Berlin at the Red Bull Arena might have a significant ride on the title race in Germany’s top flight.

Unbeaten in all four post-World Cup matches in the Bundesliga (W2, D2), perennial top-four tenants RB Leipzig have closed the gap on table-topping Bayern Munich to only four points. Spreading across all competitions and before a mid-season break, ‘Die Roten Bullen’ have gone unbeaten in their last 18 games (W14, D4), their joint-longest run as a Bundesliga club. Speaking of the Bundesliga, Marco Rose’s men haven’t lost any of their last 12 league outings (W8, D4) and could set an unprecedented feat in the club’s top-flight history by avoiding defeat here. That will likely require a massive effort as Leipzig have lost their last four league encounters against Union Berlin by an identical 2-1 scoreline.

Meanwhile, visiting Union Berlin have been too hot to handle in 2023, winning all four Bundesliga fixtures to move within one point of leaders Bayern. Three of those four wins have come ‘to one,’ testifying to Berlin’s newly-discovered scoring prowess. Indeed, Urs Fischer’s men have netted 2+ goals in all four Bundesliga outings in 2023 after doing so in just six of their first 15 league games in 2022/23. As one of just three sides in Europe’s top-five leagues yet to drop points in the new calendar year, ‘Die Eisernen’ are vying for a club-record fifth consecutive Bundesliga win. But considering they’ve lost three of their last five top-flight away contests (W2), they cannot take anything for granted.