Borussia Dortmund vs Union Berlin 01/02/20

1 February 2020

Borussia Dortmund continue their pursuit of Bundesliga (BL) toppers, RB Leipzig, this weekend, as mid-table Union Berlin arrive at the Signal Iduna Park.

The hosts have enjoyed a strong start to 2020, winning both of their league outings since the turn of the year to reduce the gap on Leipzig to four points. Lucien Favre’s men have scored precisely five goals per match in both of those successes, with eight of those goals coming in the second half. Indeed, BVB’s action usually sparks into life after the break, as 22 of 31 BL goals they’ve netted at home so far have arrived in the second 45 minutes (71%). A ferocious finish has been Dortmund’s trademark this term. In fact, they’ve found the net inside the final 15 minutes of play in five of nine BL home fixtures. ‘Die Borussen’ are also the only side in Germany that has yet to taste defeat at their stadium this season (W6, D3), with five of their six BL wins here yielding a margin of at least three goals.

Meanwhile, three failures in their last four BL road trips (D1, L3) means the visitors are unlikely to replicate a stunning success from the first half of the season that saw them beat Dortmund 3-1 at home. Another reason for concern is that Urs Fischer’s players failed to return a single point from their past four top-flight trips to top-six sides, conceding two or more goals in each of those fixtures. Yet, Union’s recent away matches have overseen some fireworks. Indeed, each of their last six BL road fixtures has witnessed both teams score, with five of them producing over 2.5 goals. In turn, five of Union’s seven BL away results (win/loss) have come via a single-goal margin, with two of the last three seeing the winner arrive beyond the 80th minute.