Union SG take on Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, with the Belgian side looking to preserve their unbeaten start to the league phase against opponents struggling to collect points in Europe.

The match will be played at a neutral venue in Germany rather than Union's usual home ground, but David Hubert's side will hope the change of surroundings does not disrupt their impressive form as they play against visitors looking to secure their first victory of the league phase.

Match preview

USG head into this fixture after beating Nijlen 3-0 in the Belgian Cup, with Raul Florucz, Besfort Zeneli and Kamiel Van de Perre scoring in the second half to secure a comfortable victory and send Hubert's side through to the next round.

That result extended an impressive run across competitions, following a 1-1 Europa League draw with Real Sociedad, another 1-1 stalemate against OH Leuven in the league and a 2-0 away victory over Royal Antwerp.

Their opening European victory was particularly convincing, as they defeated Viktoria Plzen 3-0 away from home, a success that formed part of a six-match winning streak and an ongoing 10-game unbeaten run across all competitions, during which they have recorded seven wins and three draws.

Although Union will not be playing at their usual home ground, their record as the designated hosts in the Europa League offers encouragement. 

They have lost just once in their last 11 group-stage or league-phase matches in that capacity, recording five wins and five draws, while they have also gone unbeaten in their last 22 matches when listed as the home side, winning 17 and drawing five.

This will be Union's first meeting with Hapoel and their first encounter with Israeli opposition, giving the Belgian side an opportunity to establish themselves against unfamiliar opponents; however, they will need to be wary of dropping points after drawing three of their last five matches as the designated home side.

With Thursday's fixture scheduled to take place behind closed doors at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Hapoel may see the neutral venue as an opportunity to make life more difficult for their opponents.

However, Ran Kozuch's side have endured a difficult start to their European campaign, opening with a goalless draw against Dinamo Zagreb before losing 2-1 away to AZ Alkmaar in their most recent Europa League fixture.

The defeat in the Netherlands left them with just one point from their opening two matches and ended a four-game unbeaten run across all competitions, during which they had recorded three victories and one draw.

Their domestic form has been more encouraging, with a 2-1 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem on Sunday extending their winning streak in domestic competition to four matches.

However, Hapoel's biggest concern remains their away record in the Europa League, having not secured another victory on the road in the competition since their memorable win over Inter Milan in 2016, drawing twice and losing eight times since then, while their last five away matches in the competition have all ended in defeat.

Their previous meetings with Belgian opposition also offer little encouragement, as Hapoel have failed to win either of their two encounters against clubs from Belgium, recording one draw and one defeat.

Union SG Europa League form:

Union SG form (all competitions):

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Europa League form:

Hapoel Be'er Sheva form (all competitions):

Team News

Union Saint-Gilloise have several injury concerns, with Ilan Hurtevent and Adem Zorgane reportedly sidelined until early November, while Kevin Rodriguez and Kevin Mac Allister are also unavailable.

Ondrej Kricfalusi and Rob Schoofs are carrying knocks, while Ross Sykes is being assessed after suffering a shoulder problem.

Florucz has served his suspension and is available for selection, although Zorgane's fitness remains a concern despite his suspension also having been completed.

Hapoel are expected to be without Dan Biton, who has reportedly been dealing with a heart problem, and Idan Nachmias, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Lucas Ventura is also struggling with a hamstring problem, while Joao Victor has been listed with an illness.

Union SG possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Chibani, Sylla, Havenaar; Van de Perre; Patris, Zeneli, Olaru, Smith; Biondic, Mofokeng

Hapoel Be'er Sheva possible starting lineup:

Marciano; Mizrahi, Nachmias, Diop, Amador; Peretz, Amankwah; Forson; Rumi, Zlatanovic, Ahmed

We say: Union SG 2-0 Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Union have made the stronger start to the Europa League campaign and arrive in excellent form, having avoided defeat in their last 10 matches across all competitions.

Hapoel's domestic resurgence suggests they could make the contest competitive, but their poor European away record remains a significant concern. Union should have enough quality to control proceedings and secure a relatively comfortable victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.