WORLD football fanatic James O'Rourke (@JamesOR1) has scoured the planet for his best bets this weekend and bring us his best six plays from across the world. He's fancies draw specialists Union Berlin to share some goals with hosts Aue.
See James' other previews for the weekend here;
- Karlsruher v Braunschweig | Saturday 22nd December 2018, 13:00
- PSV Eindhoven v AZ Alkmaar | Saturday 22nd December 2018, 18:45
- Standard Liege v Oostende | Saturday 22nd December 2018, 19:30
- Aue v Union Berlin | Sunday 23rd December 2018, 12:30
- Porto v Rio Ave | Sunday 23rd December 2018, 15:00
- Guimaraes v Sporting Lisbon | Sunday 23rd December 2018, 20:00
Aue v Union Berlin | Sunday 23rd December 2018, 12:30
Seven games into the 2.Bundesliga season and quite incredibly Union Berlin remain unbeaten. It is certainly a strong defensive record which has played a major part in that. They’ve conceded only 12 goals so far, which has allowed them to earn seven victories and a whopping ten draws so far. It is those draws why they are six points off league leaders Hamburg.
Perhaps what is the most telling fact of all is how Union Berlin perform on the road. Of course, they are unbeaten, but their eight away clashes reads one win and a huge seven draws. They have the best home record in the league, where they can control and dictate games better, but they have to be a little cleverer away, and if they are to lose a first match, it is likely to come away from their Stadion An der Alten Forsterei base.
As for Aue, they’re a team that won't be battling for promotion come the end of the season. They will be quite happy to finish 15th or above, which would ensure they avoid relegation. They at least head into this contest unbeaten in three, which includes a 5-0 away victory over Greuther Furth. 12 of their 19 points have come at home, and given than Union Berlin are seemingly draw specialists, Aue will be hopeful of causing an upset at the weekend. The earlier season meeting only saw Union Berlin edge a 1-0 win, scoring the winner in the 87th minute.
Although Union Berlin are unbeaten, and if they play to their best then they should win this one, their string of draws, especially away, places some doubts on that. I don’t like to confidently back a draw, especially as Union Berlin will lose at some stage as well. The goals angle is the one we’ll be looking to explore on Sunday.
Although Union Berlin do have the best defensive record in the league, they don’t necessarily pride themselves on clean sheets. 41% clean sheets is still very, very good, but you’d have thought they’d have earned more considering they’ve conceded only 12. What is perhaps most interesting is that both teams to score has paid out in 59% of their matches, a number which increases to a huge 75% when focusing purely on their away games.
Aue have witnessed both teams scoring in 62% of their home games, and 59% of them overall. They have scored in roughly two-thirds of their matches, and are a side that are tough to keep at bay for 90 minutes. Aue have only scored five goals fewer than Union Berlin, but conceded eleven more, which is essentially the main difference between the two.
The last six meetings head-to-head has seen both team netting too. Therefore, our selection is Both Teams To Score, which is priced at 10/11 (Coral).
Best Bet
Both Teams to Score 10/11 (Coral).
