Bayern Munich: Three things to watch for against Union Berlin

Bayern Munich will look to bounce back from their shocking 5-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach in the DFB Pokal against Union Berlin on Saturday. After being held to two draws last season by Union Berlin, Die Roten could be in danger of dropping points in their trip to Germany’s capital city. Here are three things to watch for ahead of Saturday’s Matchday Ten fixture.

Battle of the in-form strikers

Two of the Bundesliga’s most in-form strikers will feature in this match. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski and Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi are among the best goalscorers in the German top-flight so far this season. The Bayern striker has scored ten goals in nine league appearances while Awoniyi is close behind with seven goals in nine appearances.

Lewandowski has scored six goals in his last six appearances for Bayern in all competitions. Awoniyi has been one goal better for Union Berlin in his last six appearances in all competitions as he has scored seven goals. With a six-match scoring streak for his club, the 24-year-old forward will certainly be looking to score his first goal against Bayern on Saturday. Lewandowski has scored three goals in three appearances against Union Berlin.

Union Berlin playing well at home

In their five home fixtures in the Bundesliga, Union Berlin are undefeated. With three wins and two draws, 11 of their 16 points in the table have come from home matches. They have also not conceded a goal in their last three home fixtures. Based on their recent form, Bayern will need to be at their best on Saturday if they hope to get all three points on the road. Union Berlin was able to hold Bayern to a point the last time the defending champions visited and they have the potential to earn a point again.

A key fixture

After suffering the 5-0 defeat to Monchengladbach on Wednesday, Bayern will have to quickly recover from the loss to earn a positive result against Union Berlin. With only six points separating the two sides in the Bundesliga table, this match is one of the key early-season fixtures for Die Roten.

With Bayern facing Freiburg next week, who occupies third place in the table entering this weekend, these two upcoming matches are important fixtures in the title race, Two wins from Bayern have the potential to create more separation at the top of the table. However, if they drop points in these two fixtures it could see them relinquish the top spot in the table as Borussia Dortmund trails Die Roten by just one point.