The Champions League Matchday 1 is upon us

Real Madrid takes on Champions League debutants Union Berlin on Wednesday evening looking to make a solid start to Group C.

The Los Blancos have made a perfect start to the LaLiga season so far, and picked up a come-from-behind win against Real Sociedad at the weekend courtesy of goals from Federico Valverde and veteran striker Joselu.

As for Union Berlin, they have had a mixed start to the Bundesliga campaign picking up two wins and two defeats from their opening four games. Union Berlin is very much an unknown quantity in this competition, which could help them on Wednesday evening, but their home form in the section is likely to determine whether they have a genuine chance of reaching the knockout round of this season’s tournament.

Kick-Off time:

Wednesday, 20th September, 2023, 10:15 PM (IST), 04:45 PM (GMT), 12:45 PM (EST)

Form

Real Madrid Form (All Competitions): W-W-W-W-W

Union Berlin Form (All Competitions): W-W-W-L-L

Players to Watch

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

Known for his exceptional control of the ball, his physicality and his technical quality, Bellingham is often regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world right now, he is widely considered to be one of the best young footballers in the world. He has been on fire and performing really well for his new club and Ancelotti can expect him to perform in this match as well.

David Datro Fofana (Union Berlin)

Fofana has incredible pace and acceleration and an ability to outrun most of his opponents. He is not the tallest striker at 1.81 metres, but he does not lack strength and can be a physical mismatch for some defenders. He has natural flair, great balance, agility, and an elusiveness about him. It is difficult to truly summarise Fofana’s on-ball ability.

At points, he is an exciting ball carrier portraying raw pace and physicality and variations in stride length and ball control proximity all of which in conjunction create a fearful, dominant player. He can be a game-changer for the team.

Injury and Team news

Ferland Mendy could be back for this contest, but Los Blancos will again definitely be without the services of key trio Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior, while summer arrival Arda Guler is also still unavailable.

Union Berlin, meanwhile, will be without the services of Rani Khedira, Andras Schafer and Laurenz Dehl for the contest in the Spanish capital through injury. Kevin Volland is currently serving a Bundesliga suspension, but the forward is available for this contest and will more than likely provide an option off the bench.