When the Wolves take on Union Berlin on Saturday at 15:30 CEST, the chances of Niko Kovac’s side taking something from the game are good – if the statistics are anything to go by.
In the teams’ eight Bundesliga meetings to date, the respective away side has never managed to win; in addition to three draws, there have been five wins without conceding for the hosts.
Furthermore, the Wolves have a better record against Union than they do against any other top-flight side, having collected 10 of 12 possible points against the capital club at the Volkswagen Arena.
Further facts and figures
- Wind vs. Behrens: Kevin Behrens has been the most efficient finisher in the Bundesliga this season, beating his expected goals (xG) metric by +2.6. Jonas Wind, who likewise already has four goals this term, has a shot efficiency quota of +1.2, placing him in the league’s top 10 finishers too.
- No-nonsense duo: Maxence Lacroix (79 percent win rate) and Union’s Danilho Doekhi (71 percent) are the strongest tacklers in the Bundesliga this season (among players to have been on the pitch for at least two thirds of the possible minutes available thus far).
- Two sendings off: Only three red cards have been brandished in the Bundesliga in 2023/24, but two of those have been shown to Union players. While Brenden Aaronson returns from suspension against VfL, Kevin Volland misses out after being dismissed against Leipzig.
- Keep an eye on Becker: Sheraldo Becker has scored in three of his last five Bundesliga matches against the Wolves.
- Familiar faces: Robin Knoche laced his boots for VfL for 15 years between 2005 and 2020, going all the way from ball boy to the first team, where he scored 12 goals in 183 Bundesliga appearances and won the DFB Cup in 2015. The 31-year-old is now a mainstay of Union’s first team. Meanwhile, Jerome Roussillon moved to Berlin in January 2023 after chalking up five goals in 107 Bundesliga outings for VfL. Paul Jaeckel is also now on Union’s books following a spell in Wolfsburg between 2014 and 2018, during which he made three first-team appearances.
- Home comforts: VfL boss Niko Kovac and defender Moritz Jenz are both Berlin natives.
- VfL absentees: Fischer, Lange, L. Nmecha (all injured)
- Union absentees: Dehl, Khedira, Schäfer (all injured) / Volland (suspended)
