- Tom Carnduff's Fussball am Freitag 25/26: Staked: 64.5pts | Returned: 80.72pts | P/L: +16.22pts | ROI: 25%
- Tom Carnduff's Fussball am Freitag 26/27: Staked: 6.5pts | Returned: 8.1pts | P/L: +1.6pts | ROI: 25%
Football betting tips: Bundesliga
2pts Kenan Karaman 2+ total shots at 6/5 (bet365)
1pt Kenan Karaman 3+ total shots at 7/2 (bet365)
Following a three-year spell in the second division, Schalke are back at the top table of German football and secured a memorable point against Bayern Munich in their first Gelsenkirchen outing of the campaign last weekend.
It was a game which played out in an expected flow. Bayern dominated proceedings with 83% possession, 15 shots to Schalke's four with five of those on target. Yet they couldn't find a way through with the full-time whistle delivering the celebrations a defensively-resilient performance of that scale deserved.
They needed a response following the 3-0 defeat to Augsburg, a game which frankly should have seen far more than the three goals it did. A huge total of 13 'big chances' were created - four by Schalke - and yet they failed to find the net having gone down to ten men in the second-half.
In Union Berlin, they travel to a side who have shown defensive issues, albeit against teams expected to feature at the top end of the table. Leverkusen scored four last time out with Eintracht Frankfurt netting three in a draw on opening weekend.
So it's a travelling team yet to strike against one who can't keep them out. While it may not be a Friday fixture with two leading sides in the division - although Schalke are one of Germany's biggest teams - it's still one which should be a fascinating watch.
Union Berlin vs Schalke
- Kick-off: Friday, 19:30 GMT
- TV: BBC iPlayer, Bundesliga YouTube
- Live odds, form and stats
The approach for Schalke will be, unsurprisingly, different in this game than last week's clash with Bayern.
Rather frustratingly, Miron Muslić has left us guessing on what his starting line-up will be. He gave very little away in his press conference on Wednesday but there were some indications of what we could expect.
There was a suggestion of a switch to a back-four. He also discussed changes from that XI last time out despite the fact they gained an unlikely point - they're facing "a completely different task" is how he described it.
He believes they have options in every position. The loan capture of Hwang Hee-chan has caused some excitement among supporters but I'm willing to take a bit of a risk on that starting XI with a couple of prices which will look really good if this player is in from the start.
KENAN KARAMAN finished Schalke's title-winning campaign as their top goalscorer with 14 in 32 outings and he was a figure which Muslić was tight-lipped on in terms of getting a start. He returned from injury with a brief appearance in last week's draw.
If Schalke return to a 4-2-3-1 I'll have confidence that he'll be in the XI, but even if not there's two positions up for grabs behind the striker which he could take. There's 6/5 available for Karaman seeing 2+ TOTAL SHOTS in the game with 7/2 on 3+ - a couple of bookmakers go around this mark on the selections.
If they want Hwang to start as well reverting to the previous formation makes sense as it opens up more natural spots for him to occupy. One of those not being a #10 would only benefit Karaman as well.
As a regular starter, Karaman averaged 2.55 shots per 2. Bundesliga game last season with 0.99 of those on target. He was also their assigned penalty taker but showed an ability to try and strike from a range of positions, although with a preference on the left side of the box as he approaches it.
Schalke's club captain could also contribute in this market as a substitute provided he gets a decent chunk of second-half minutes. You'd imagine his involvement in that capacity would be if they're behind, likely meaning they'd be on the front foot anyway.
I suppose the main bit of advice would be to check the team news at around 18:30 BST to see if he's involved. I'm going to take a punt on Schalke setting up in a more attacking manner with the second division's player of the season involved from the off.
Odds correct at 12:40 BST (10/09/26)
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