Real Madrid will look to keep their perfect record in the UEFA Champions League intact when they hit the road to square up against Union Berlin.
In the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Union Berlin are all set to host Real Madrid, who are guaranteed to finish top of Group C. The home team will have to claim all three points from this fixture and hope SC Braga lose to Napoli as they eye a third-place finish and a spot in the Europa League knockout round playoffs.
The German club are yet to register their first Champions League win. But all is not lost, as a win on the final matchday of their first-ever UCL campaign could do wonders for them. Currently, they are bottom of Group C with just two points out of their five matches.
After three consecutive defeats to kick things off, Union Berlin have managed to earn a point from their last two outings. But, a point against Real Madrid won’t be enough form to finish third and feature in the Europa League. They will have to push hard for all three points as it is their only way out.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid do not have much to play for. They have already booked their spot in the knockout rounds and will finish top of Group C irrespective of the result of this fixture. While all seems sorted, Carlo Ancelotti will be keen on maintaining the perfect record in the group stage with six wins in six matches.
Los Blancos might be heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against Real Betis. But they will still be confident about their chances. While quite a few of their stars are injured, they still enough in their tanks to go past Union Berlin. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Union Berlin
The home team will be without the services of Danilho Doekhi for this fixture. Meanwhile, Sheraldo Becker’s availability is also a doubt. Apart from the duo, Union Berlin have everyone else available, and they are unlikely to make any major changes to their XI.
The visitors will go ahead with the 4-5-1 formation, where Frederik Ronnow will be in goal. Josip Juranovic and Jerome Roussillon will be the two full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Robin Knoche will pair up with Diogo Leite. The back four will look to keep a clean sheet against a star-studded Real Madrid attack.
Kevin Volland and Robin Gosens will feature on the flanks. While they will look to help out the full-backs, their priority will be to join the attack, score goals and create chances for their teammates.
Lucas Tousart, Rani Khedira and Aassa Laidouni will feature in a more central role. They will look to control the possession of the ball and ensure Real Madrid do not end up dictating the pace of the game. Kevin Behrens will be the sole striker up top. He will look to get his name on the score sheet.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Ronnow; Juranovic, Knoche, Leite, Roussillon; Volland, Tousart, Khedira, Laidouni, Gosens; Behrens
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid have already announced their squad on Sunday. While all of their available stars are making this away trip, the Italian manager is expected to make quite a few changes to the XI that started against Real Betis. He will look to rest his important players or players who are nursing injuries.
Kepa Arrizabalaga will return between the sticks as Real Madrid will stick with the 4-4-2 formation. Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy will be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, we might see David Alaba pair up with Nacho Fernandez.
Toni Kroos will most likely be rested for this fixture, and we might see Dani Ceballos get a rare start alongside Luka Modric and Federico Valverde. Jude Bellingham has not been a 100% fit for a while now, and he should drop to the bench and take some rest.
Brahim Diaz who has been in sensational form while playing out wide on the flanks will feature as an attacking midfielder in this fixture. Finally, Joselu will return up top alongside Brazilian sensation Rodrygo Goes.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Kepa; Vazquez, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy; Valverde, Ceballos, Modric; Diaz; Rodrygo, Joselu
Key Stats
- It is all set to be the second-ever meeting between the two teams in the Champions League. Real Madrid came out on top in the first outing with a scoreline of 1-0.
- Real Madrid have won each of their five games in the UEFA Champions League so far while Union Berlin are yet to win a game.
- Los Blancos have been unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions.
- Union Berlin have been unbeaten in their last three matches since suffering a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen last month.
- The German club have only scored four goals in their five Champions League outings, while the visitors have scored 13.
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
When Diaz returned to Real Madrid in the summer after a successful stint at AC Milan, there were doubts about how much game time he would get and whether he would be able to make the best use of it. Because of multiple injuries, Diaz has slowly started getting extended minutes and he is making the best use of it.
The Spanish international has five goal contributions in less than 500 minutes of footballing action. Irrespective of the position he has been used in, the 24-year-old has delivered so far. He has been in sensational form of late and could end up being the difference between the two teams on Tuesday night.
Prediction
Union Berlin 1-3 Real Madrid
Union Berlin need to win this game to keep their hopes of a place in the Europa League alive. But, it won’t be easy by any means. They are struggling in the league as well as the UEFA Champions League.
The German club have not won a Champions League game so far, and they will be going up against Real Madrid who have won all five of their outings. While the visitors will make changes to their XI, they will still have the upper hand heading into this fixture. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the visitors.
