Union Berlin-Wolfsburg is a German Cup round of 16 match played on Tuesday at 20:45: predictions and likely line-ups.
Interesting round of 16 match between Union Berlin and Wolfsburg, who are vying for a place in the quarter-finals of the 2022-23 German Cup. Urs Fischer’s capital city side’s moment of glory continues unabated: on Saturday, they won, without overdoing it, over their cousins Hertha, who were beaten 2-0 at the Olympiastadion.
A victory that once again testifies to the red and white city supremacy and sends Sandro Schwarz’s line-up, which is second-to-last in the table, further down. Union, on the other hand, are on a roll after their three consecutive victories (Hoffenheim, Werder Bremen, Hertha) since the Bundesliga resumed: they have nibbled away more points from Bayern Munich, who were held to a draw for the third day in a row on Saturday. The Bavarians slowed down again and now the gap to second place, occupied by Fischer and his men, is just one point. A sudden and extraordinary growth, if you think that the capital team had never set foot in the top flight before 2019. Waiting to face Ajax in the Europa League play-off, Union Berlin will try to repeat last year’s semi-final in the national cup. A trophy the Berliners have never won, although they came close in 2001, when they reached the final despite playing in the third division.
Only one triumph instead in the history of Wolfsburg, who won the German Cup in the 2014-15 season. The green-and-whites are trying to regain positions in the standings after their poor start to the season. And things, with Niko Kovac on the bench, seem to be going in the right direction. On Saturday, however, they suffered their first defeat since September, conceding 2-1 at home to Werder Bremen.
Niko Kovac
An unexpected slip, considering what had been the script in the first two matches of 2023, overwhelming 6-0 and 5-0 wins against Freiburg and Hertha Berlin respectively.
The prediction
Union Berlin in the first part of the season had started to lose points in conjunction with the double, and coach Fischer may be thinking of resting a few starters in this match. We believe Wolfsburg have some extra motivation, especially after the unexpected tumble in Bremen. The green-and-whites should therefore avoid defeat in a match with at least two goals in total.
The Union Berlin v Wolfsburg matchday squad
- UNION BERLIN (3-5-2): Grill; Jaeckel, Knoche, Leite; Juranovic, Haraguchi, Khedira, Haberer, Griesselmann; Siebatcheu, Michel.
- WOLFSBURG (4-5-1): Casteels; Baku, Bornauw, Lacroix, Otavio; Paredes, Arnold, Guilavogui, Gerhardt, Marmoush; Wind.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
