Bayern Munich: Five things to watch for against Union Berlin
By Daniel Garza
Bayern Munich hosts Union Berlin on Saturday as the defending Bundesliga champions look to get back to winning ways in the league after two consecutive draws. Bayern defeated Union Berlin 5-2 in their first meeting of the season and a similar result would allow them to remain at least four points ahead of Borussia Dortmund in the table. Here are five things to watch for ahead of Saturday’s match.
The title race intensifies
Bayern’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga table has been reduced to four points following their two most recent results. Dortmund has been able to take advantage of Bayern’s draws against Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen to reduce the gap to the league leaders. More dropped points on Saturday by Bayern could allow Dortmund to move even closer as the two clubs’ Matchday 31 fixture could prove to be the deciding moment in the title race.
Robert Lewandowski closing in on 30 goals
Just one goal scored against Union Berlin would give Robert Lewandowski his 30th goal of the current Bundesliga season. The Bayern striker scored twice when the two clubs first played this season. If he does score a goal on Saturday, it will be the fifth time in his career at Bayern that Lewandowski has scored at least 30 goals in a Bundesliga season.
Another impactful performance from Thomas Muller?
Muller had a terrific performance against Union Berlin in October. He played a major role in the 5-2 victory for Bayern with one goal and three assists. Muller will certainly be one of the players who could help lead Bayern to their 20th win of the Bundesliga season on Saturday.
Multi-goal performance drought
Bayern has scored three goals in their last three league matches with one goal being scored in each fixture. This is the first time this season they have had three consecutive league matches where they did not score multiple goals. It will be interesting to see if they will be able to score multiple goals against Union Berlin for the second time this season. Union Berlin has conceded 34 goals this season in the Bundesliga which is tied for the fifth-fewest number of goals conceded in the league.
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The race for the best home record
With 31 points from 13 home matches this season, Bayern is currently trailing Dortmund by two points for the best home record in the Bundesliga. Dortmund has recorded 33 points from 13 home fixtures which is the best home record in the league. A victory on Saturday for Bayern would allow them to move ahead of Dortmund for the best home record as Dortmund has an away fixture against FC Koln on Sunday.