Union Berlin vs. Union Saint-Gilloise odds, pick

September 8, 2022

The 2022-23 Europa League gets underway on Sept. 8 with a loaded slate of fixtures across the continent featuring some famous clubs. Arsenal, Manchester United, Lazio, Monaco, and Roma all open their European campaigns on Thursday, but it’s a matchup between two smaller clubs that sticks out.

For the first time in their history, Union Berlin, out of the Bundesliga, will play in the Europa League. It’s a massive achievement for a club that earned its first-ever promotion to Germany’s top flight in 2019-20.

Against the odds, Union has taken to the Bundesliga quite well, finishing fifth in the league in 2021-22 ahead of the likes of Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg, and missing out on a spot in the Champions League by just one point.

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Defense is the calling card for Union, as only Bayern Munich and Leipzig finished with a better goals against record than the Iron Ones did last season. Digging even deeper, Union finished second in expected goals against, fourth in big scoring chances allowed and fifth in shots allowed per 90 minutes.

And while this is the first time that Union will play in the group stage of the Europa League, the Iron Ones gained some valuable experience playing in the UEFA Conference League in 2021-22, so they should not be overwhelmed by the extra fixtures that will be coming their way over the next couple of months.

Not to be outdone, Union Saint-Gilloise has written an incredible story themselves. After gaining promotion into Belgium’s top division in 2021, Les Unionistes won the league title in 2022, becoming the first team in the history of the competition to lift the trophy the season after being promoted.

But while Union Berlin’s impressive play from 2021-22 seems to have carried over to the new campaign, the same can’t be said of the Belgian side, who lost several key players during the summer transfer window. Union Saint-Gilloise is 4-1-2 (W-D-L) with an even goal differential in the Belgian First Division to start the new year.

Jamie Leweling. — Jamie Leweling of Union Berlin.

Union Berlin, on the other hand, are unbeaten through five matches in the Bundesliga (three wins, two draws) and are coming off an impressive 1-1 tie against Bayern Munich. The defensive solidity seems to still be there for the Iron Ones, as they’ve not conceded more than one goal in any game yet and have kept three of their first five opponents to under 1.0 xG.

Not only are Union Berlin worth a bet to cover 1.5 goals at +160 on Thursday, but the Iron Ones are worth a flyer to win the whole competition at long odds.