Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Union Berlin
Match Time & Date:
12/12/2023
21:00
Prediction: 1-2
Real Madrid
Union Berlin play host to Real Madrid at Olympiastadion in what is expected to be an interesting Champions League game. The Bundesliga outfit regained a much-needed confidence at the weekend, with the team beating Borussia M’gladbach 3-1 on home soil, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against the La Liga giants. Towering centre-back Leonardo Bonucci serves a one-game ban as well as midfielder Lucas Tousart, while Danilho Doekhi misses out with injury.
Los Blancos, on the other hand, aim to keep their 100% record in Group C intact. Real Madrid surely want to win this match after dropping two points in a 1-1 draw with Real Betis and seeing that the Europa League-chasing hosts are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach, we predict that Carlo Ancelotti’s men are going to find the net on the break. All Carvajal, Camavinga, Militao, Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior should miss out with injuries for the La Liga side.
Highlighted Player (Toni Kroos):
Toni Kroos is a Real Madrid midfielder who started playing for Bayern Munich II at senior level. He made 13 appearances for the reserve team and on 31 January, 2009 he joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan. He made his Bayer debut on 28 February, 2009, coming as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Hannover.
The German midfielder scored ten goals in 43 league appearances with the BayArena outfit and in the summer of 2010 he returned to Bayern Munich. Kroos won three Bundesliga trophies with the mighty Bavarian giants (2007/2008, 2012/2013, 2013/2014) and in 2013 he was part of Bayern Munich’s team that won the Champions League trophy.
In 2014, though, he decided to leave the club and the German superstar joined Real Madrid on a six-year-contract. Kroos won the 2015/2016 Champions League trophy with los Blancos and it has to be noted that he produced a thrilling performance in the title game against Atletico Madrid. In 2014 he clinched the FIFA World Cup trophy with Germany.
Highlighted Team (Union Berlin):
Union Berlin are a German football club originally founded back in 1906. Die Eisernen play home games at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei which can hold up to 22,012 spectators. Union Berlin’s home kit is red, with the team wearing white shirts and white shorts on the travels.
Union Berlin finished the 1923 domestic campaign as runners-up, with the team suffering a 3-0 loss to Hamburger SV in the title game. Speaking of the club’s biggest success in the German Cup, die Eisernen made it to the final of the competition in the 2000/2001 season. Schalke, though, proved to be a big catch for Union Berlin in the decider, with Jorg Bohme scoring a brace for die Knappen (2-0).
Union Berlin will face their local rivals Hertha in the 2019/2020 Bundesliga season as they secured promotion to the German top flight, but Hansa Rostock are considered the club’s main rivals.
