Union vs Bayer: Bet on the Berliners

In the first round of the German football championship, Union Berlin face Bayer Leverkusen. It is one of the best fixtures of the opening round of the Bundesliga as the two German representatives in the European competitions will meet. Despite the field factor, Bayer are quoted as slight favourites, but slowly the bookmaker line is equalised.

Union had an excellent pre-season preparation. The Berlin team played five friendly matches and did not lose once during this period, finding themselves stronger than the capital’s Victoria, Dresden Dynamo, French Nice, and Spanish Atletico, and playing a 1-1 draw with Ukrainian champion Dynamo Kyiv. Union also won their first official match against Türkgücü in Munich, albeit marginally by 1-0. Soon, on 17th August, the Berlin club will play a Conference League qualifier against Finland’s KuPS, and the Berlin side will be in a good mood for this crucial encounter, although they will pick up points from their Bundesliga campaign.

Bayer have a new coach again. This time, the Leverkusen managers have bet on Swiss Spaniard Seoane, former coach of the Young Boys. He is a promising specialist but has previously worked exclusively in the Swiss Super League as a coach. And as we are well aware, Seoane has no experience in the German elite. The Lions had diametrically opposite results in pre-match friendlies: a 1-5 defeat at Utrecht, a 3-1 win at Roth-Weiss, and a 0-0 draw at Forayburg. But in their first official match, Bayer were one of the few sides to beat their opponents handily in the first round of the German Cup. Thet beat Lokomotiv Leipzig 3-0.

Until last season, Union could be described as Bayer’s favorite team, but the 2020/21 season has seen much change, with the Berlin club beating Bayer at home and not losing away to Leverkusen. Overall, Union are developing. The capital team is showing progress and is not going to stop there. At the same time, Bayer have a new head coach who does not know how to perform in the Bundesliga. In our opinion, it’s worth betting on the more stable Bayer in this match-up. We have the following options for this game: Handicap 1 (0) for 2.00, W1 for 2.79, 1X+Total Under (3.5) for 2.12.