Union’s Sheraldo Becker in a duel with Nacho Fernandez Photo: AFP
From the BZ editorial team
Premier class madness: Union Berlin plays the Champions League and meets Real Madrid in the first group game. Everything from Real against Union here in the Union live ticker!
Union Berlin will face the Royals from 6.45 p.m. The Iron Men’s appearance in the Champions League at Real Madrid on Wednesday (6.45 p.m./DAZN/rbb24 audio stream) can be found here in the BZ live ticker Real Madrid – Union Berlin.
The Italian European soccer champion Leonardo Bonucci plays his first game for Union. The central defender is in the Iron team’s starting line-up. The 36-year-old, who moved from Juventus Turin to Berlin almost three weeks ago, replaces the injured defense chief Robin Knoche.
As expected, coach Urs Fischer is relying on a defensive-oriented basic formation at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Lucas Tousart, Alex Kral and Laissa Laidouni play in central midfield. On the flanks, Fischer relies on Josip Juranovic and Robin Gosens, who already gained experience in the premier class with their former clubs. In addition to Bonucci, Danilho Doekhi and Diogo Leite defend.
Real without Toni Kroos in the starting line-up
The Irons are led by captain Sheraldo Becker, as captain Christopher Trimmel is on the bench and his first representative Rani Khedira is injured.
Toni Kroos is not in the starting line-up at Real. Coach Carlos Ancelotti instead relies on Luka Modric, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham in midfield. In the Real defense, Ancelotti has the German international Antonio Rüdiger as well as the former Munich player David Alaba. Former world champion Kroos initially sits on the substitutes’ bench. His brother Felix Kroos is part of the official Union delegation as a former Berlin captain.