Verdict: Both teams to score
Best odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: ZetBet
There are plenty of interesting fixtures in the opening round of the Champions League season, some because they’re matched fairly evenly, and some because they feature surprise participants pitted against giants of glorious history in the competition. One of the latter is surely the game between Real Madrid and Union Berlin, set to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Wednesday evening.
Real Madrid
With 14 European crowns to their name, twice as many as their nearest rival in that aspect, AC Milan, clubs don’t get bigger than Real Madrid. Every season they enter the Champions League with sole purpose of lifting the trophy, and this campaign will be no different from their point of view.
Los Blancos have, however, been thrown off the top of the mountain by Manchester City, a new name among the giants who went on to win the treble last season after disposing of Real in the semifinals. Therefore, it’s now up to Carlo Ancelotti and his players to try and reclaim the crown.
Real started the season very strongly, winning all five La Liga matches they’ve played so far, and topping the table with 15 points, two more than arch-rivals Barcelona. It started with a 0-2 win away to Athletic Bilbao. Then they beat Almeria, also away by 1-3, and a away to Celta Vigo by 0-1, before linking 2-1 wins at home, over Getafe and Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Having gone down early in that game to a fifth-minute opener by Ander Barrenetxea, Real responded through Federico Valverde and Joselu to win.
Team News
Ancelotti has plenty of injury issues to work around for this game. There will be no Thibaut Courtois in goal, no Eder Militao in the heart of defence, no Dani Carvajal on its right side, and no Vinicius Junior on the left attacking flank. Arda Guler is also unavailable at the moment.
Midfielder Dani Ceballos has recovered to be in the matchday squad against Sociedad and should be in contention for this one as well, while left-back Ferland Mendy remains a doubt.
Having shown excellent form lately, Joselu and Rodrygo goes are set to continue upfront, with Jude Bellingham joining them a bit further up than he might have expected to be playing at Real. But Toni Kroos might make way for Eduardo Camavinga, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric in midfield. David Alaba is expected to pair up with Antonio Rudiger at the back, flanked by Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia. Kepa Arrizabalaga will deputize for Courtois in goal.
Union Berlin
Having played in the 2. Bundesliga as recently as 2018/19, Union Berlin gradually climbed the Bundesliga table in the seasons gone since, until they managed to grab a fourth-place finish last term, qualifying for the Champions League ahead of the likes of SC Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt. They will surely consider it a great moment when they step out onto the pitch at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Union’s start to 2023/24 hasn’t exactly gone the way they’d have planned. After four rounds in the Bundesliga, they sit in eighth place with just six points, the same tally as Eintracht in ninth, though that’s still only four less than the leading duo of Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.
The results Urs Fischer’s team have had so far were pretty much in accordance with the expectations of the football public. They started with a 4-1 win at home over Mainz, followed by a 1-4 win away to Darmstadt. Then came the first defeat of the season, 0-3 at home against RB Leipzig, and eventually, a 2-1 loss away to Wolfsburg.
All the goals came in the thrilling first half of the game, as Robin Gosens cancelled out Jonas Wind’s opener for Wolfsburg, but Joakim Maehle scored the home side’s second goal just two minutes later.
Team News
Union Berlin will have to contend with the absence of midfielders Rani Khedira, Andras Schafer and Laurenz Dehl due to injuries in their upcoming match in the Spanish capital.
Striker Kevin Volland, who is currently serving a Bundesliga suspension, will be eligible to play in this contest and is expected to be an option off the bench.
The place upfront will belong to Kevin Behrens, who has scored four times this season.
It’s also probable that on-loan Chelsea forward David Datro Fofana will get a start in the match alongside Behrens. However, veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci is set to begin the game on the substitutes’ bench.
With Frederik Ronnow in goal, the back three should consist of Danilho Doekhi, Robin Knoche and Diogo Leite. The middle of the park should be covered by Aissa Laidouni, Alex Kral, and Brenden Aaronson, with Gosens and Josip Juranovic on the flanks.
Conclusion
Real Madrid will be looking to get off to a good start in the Champions League this term, but Union Berlin won’t feel like they’ve got anything to lose as they make this trip. The contest should be open, and Real are the favourites to win, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the visitors from Germany get at least one goal themselves.
Verdict: Both teams to score
Best odds: 19/20
Bookmaker: ZetBet
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