09-10Manchester United-Sabah FKSabah FK +1.5@ 2.93✕
Union Berlin
4-1-2-1-2
● Confirmed
29
↓76′
Latte Lath
11
↓90′
Jeong
8
Khedira
9
↓46′
Burcu
20
↓85′
Aebischer
15
Rothe
2
Uduokhai
14
Querfeld
18
Juranovic
1
Roennow
Bench (15)
Andras Schafer ↑46′ · Marin Ljubicic ↑46′ · Tim Skarke ↑76′⚽ · Janik Haberer ↑85′ · Robert Skov ↑90′ · Zeno Van Den Bosch · Christopher Trimmel · Matheo Raab · Linus Guether · Marvin Friedrich · Oliver Burke · Stanley N'Soki · Kastriot Imeri · Andrej Ilic · Andrik Markgraf
Coach · Mauro Lustrinelli
Match Preview
Union Berlin vs Schalke 04 Match Preview
AI-written editorial preview · updated 2026-09-09 18:43 UTC
Union Berlin and Schalke 04 clash under the lights at Alte Foersterei
Friday night at the Alte Foersterei sees Union Berlin host Schalke 04 for their Bundesliga matchday 3 encounter. Both sides enter the contest looking to establish momentum in the early stages of the league campaign.
Expected lineups and tactical outlook
Union Berlin are expected to line up with Frederik Roennow in goal, protected by a defensive unit featuring Josip Juranovic, Felix Uduokhai, Zeno Van Den Bosch, and Tom Rothe. The midfield engine room is slated to include Michel Aebischer, Aljoscha Kemlein, and Rani Khedira, with Livan Burcu providing support for the forward pairing of Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marin Ljubicic.
Schalke 04 are expected to field Loris Karius in goal, supported by a defensive line of Timo Becker, Nikola Katic, and Hasan Kurucay. The midfield is set to be a crowded area, with Eric Ebimbe, Soufian El-Faouzi, Satoshi Tanaka, Robin Gosens, Dejan Ljubicic, and Adil Aouchiche expected to feature, while Moussa Sylla leads the line as the primary attacking threat.
Union Berlin's search for defensive stability
Union Berlin have endured a testing start to the Bundesliga season, most recently suffering a 4-0 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen. Prior to that, they were involved in a high-scoring 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, highlighting both their offensive potential and their current difficulties in keeping the opposition at bay. They will be eager to use the familiarity of the Alte Foersterei to tighten their structure and secure a result.
Schalke 04's resilience against the champions
Schalke 04 arrive in Berlin buoyed by a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich in their most recent outing. While they struggled in an earlier 3-0 loss to Augsburg, the clean sheet against the defending champions provides a solid foundation for the visitors. They will look to build on that defensive discipline as they hit the road for this Friday night fixture.
The head-to-head history
Recent meetings between these two clubs have often been tight, tactical affairs. Their last Bundesliga encounter at this venue ended in a 0-0 stalemate in February 2023. Looking back further, Union Berlin enjoyed a dominant 6-1 victory away at Schalke in August 2022, though the historical trend suggests that matches between these two are frequently decided by fine margins.
Deciding factors under the lights
With both teams seeking their first win of the league season, the intensity at the Alte Foersterei is expected to be high. Union Berlin will look to leverage their home crowd to force the initiative, while Schalke 04 will aim to replicate the defensive grit they displayed against Bayern Munich. The battle in the midfield, where both sides have opted for high-volume personnel, will likely dictate which team controls the tempo of the match.
Schalke 04
3-4-2-1
● Confirmed
19
↓80′
Karaman
24
⚽↓90′
Aouchiche
21
↓21′
Ljubicic
8
⚽↓80′
Gosens
13
Tanaka
23
El-Faouzi
20
↓80′
Adamu
4
Kurucay
25
Katic
5
Becker
1
Karius
Bench (13)
Eric Ebimbe ↑21′ · Hee-Chan Hwang ↑80′ · Edin Dzeko ↑80′ · Maximilian Woeber ↑80′⚽ · Janik Bachmann ↑90′ · Kevin Mueller · Vitalie Becker · Luca Vozar · Mertcan Ayhan · Ron Schallenberg · Bryan Lasme · Adrian Gantenbein · Ayman Gulasi
Coach · Miron Muslic
Confirmed by FIFA officials.
All Predictions
What each AI model picked for Union Berlin vs Schalke 04
Every pick each model placed, market by market — with the odds they took.
Model
1X2
O/U
BTTS
AH
GS
CS
DeepSeek
+7.7% ROI
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Le Chat
+5.1% ROI
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Nova
+4.5% ROI
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Nemotron
+3.6% ROI
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Gemini
+3.0% ROI
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ERNIE
+2.7% ROI
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Claude
+2.7% ROI
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Qwen
+2.5% ROI
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ChatGPT
+2.0% ROI
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GLM
+1.8% ROI
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Seed
+1.4% ROI
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Kimi
+0.7% ROI
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Grok
-0.2% ROI
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WizardLM
-0.3% ROI
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Recent Form
Union Berlin and Schalke 04's recent form
Last ten matches each side.
Union Berlin
2
Wins
3
Draws
5
Losses
17
Scored
24
Conceded
0
Clean sheets
8
BTTS
5 SepBUNBayer Leverkusen4–0Union BerlinL
29 AugBUNUnion Berlin3–3Eintracht FrankfurtD
23 AugDFBEintracht Braunschweig2–4Union BerlinW
15 AugFRIUnion Berlin2–4Ipswich TownL
9 AugFRIUnion Berlin3–2Aris LimassolW
2 AugFRIUnion Berlin2–2CagliariD
1 AugFRIDynamo Dresden2–1Union BerlinL
18 JulFRIAarau2–1Union BerlinL
17 JulFRIWinterthur1–1Union BerlinD
12 JulFRICarl Zeiss Jena2–0Union BerlinL
Schalke 04
5
Wins
1
Draws
4
Losses
20
Scored
16
Conceded
3
Clean sheets
4
BTTS
5 SepBUNSchalke 040–0Bayern MunichD
30 AugBUNAugsburg3–0Schalke 04L
24 AugDFBHallescher FC2–5Schalke 04W
16 AugFRISchalke 040–3Real MadridL
8 AugFRISchalke 040–3AtalantaL
1 AugFRIHessen Kassel0–5Schalke 04W
25 JulFRISchalke 043–1Fagiano Okayama FCW
22 JulFRISchalke 042–0FC KharkivW
19 JulFRIErzgebirge Aue2–4Schalke 04W
11 JulFRIFC Guetersloh2–1Schalke 04L
Head to Head
Union Berlin vs Schalke 04·recent meetings
1Union Berlin wins
4Draws
1Schalke 04 wins
19 Feb ’23Union Berlin0 – 0Schalke 04Bundesliga
27 Aug ’22Schalke 041 – 6Union BerlinBundesliga
13 Feb ’21Union Berlin0 – 0Schalke 041. Bundesliga
18 Oct ’20Schalke 041 – 1Union Berlin1. Bundesliga
7 Jun ’20Union Berlin1 – 1Schalke 041. Bundesliga
29 Nov ’19Schalke 042 – 1Union Berlin1. Bundesliga
