Union Berlin vs Real Madrid facts

Real Madrid have the chance to win all six games in their UEFA Champions League group for a record-equalling third time as they travel to Union Berlin, who are hoping to claim third place in Group C.

Late goals from substitutes Nicolás Paz and Joselu earned Madrid a 4-2 home victory against Napoli on Matchday 5 to seal first place in the section with a match to spare. The same evening, Union drew 1-1 at ten-man Braga, their second successive draw in their first Champions League campaign.

That means Madrid – who struck late to claim a 1-0 win against Union in Spain on Matchday 1 – have 15 points, eight more than second-placed Napoli. Union are on two, two behind Braga, and must win on Matchday 6 and hope the Portuguese side lose in Naples to overtake them for a UEFA Europa League place.

Madrid previously won all six Champions League group games in both 2011/12 and 2014/15; only Bayern München (2019/20, 2021/22, 2022/23) have managed it three times. Indeed, those two are the only clubs to have picked up maximum points more than once.

Previous meetings

Union initially looked as if they were going to pick up a memorable point in their first Champions League game, and their first game against Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabéu as the game reached the 90-minute mark still scoreless before Jude Bellingham marked his debut for Madrid in the competition with a 94th-minute winner.

Form guide

Union Berlin

That was Union's first game against a Spanish club.

Union earned their European Cup debut by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga in 2022/23 – their highest league position.

Union and Antwerp in Group H are the only clubs to be making their first Champions League group appearance in 2022/23.

This is Union's third successive season in UEFA competition and just their fourth overall.

Having reached the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage in 2021/22, their first continental campaign in 20 years, Die Eisernen took part in the Europa League group stage in 2022/23. Second in their section behind Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise, they impressively eliminated Ajax in the knockout round play-offs (0-0 a, 3-1 h) only to lose their last-16 reunion with Union SG (3-3 h, 0-3 a).

This season, after losing in Madrid Union were also beaten at home by Braga (2-3) – a game they had led 2-0 – and Napoli (0-1) but have drawn their last two matches 1-1, in Naples and Braga.

Union won three of their five home European matches in 2022/23 (D1 L1). The Matchday 3 loss to Napoli made it seven home defeats with nine victories (D3).

Urs Fischer's side collected 62 points in the 2022/23 Bundesliga, nine behind champions Bayern München.

Union announced on 15 November that they had parted company with Fischer after more than five years in charge. On 26 November they appointed Croatian coach Nenad Bjelica as his replacement; the 52-year-old has had spells in charge of clubs in Austria, Italy, Poland, Croatia and most recently Türkiye with Trabzonspor, whom he left in October, and played in Germany for Kaiserslautern between 2001 and 2004.

Real Madrid

Record vs German clubs: W38 D14 L24 F144 A115
Away record vs German clubs: W7 D8 L20

Madrid were paired with German opponents in last season's group stage, beating Leipzig 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Matchday 2 before a 3-2 away loss on Matchday 5.

That ended Madrid's 13-match unbeaten run against Bundesliga clubs, home and away (W9 D4).

The Spanish side have recorded six of their overall seven away victories against German clubs in their last 11 games (D2 L3).

This is Madrid's 28th Champions League group stage campaign, a competition record they share with Barcelona. They last missed out in 1996/97.

Madrid have now qualified for the knockout rounds in all 28 campaigns and have won their section 20 times including each of the last four.

Having claimed the club's 14th European Cup – and eighth Champions League, also a competition record – in 2021/22, Carlo Ancelotti's side then finished first in their section last season, winning four of their six games (D1 L1) before beating Liverpool in the round of 16 (5-2 a, 1-0 h). That set up a second successive quarter-final against Chelsea, Madrid winning 2-0 home and away, before a repeat of their 2021/22 semi-final against Manchester City, which this time went in the English side's favour (1-1 h, 0-4 a).

That 4-0 loss in Manchester equalled Madrid's biggest European defeat.

This season, after seeing off Union Ancelotti's side have beaten both Napoli (3-2 a, 4-2 h) and Braga (2-1 a, 3-0 h) twice.

Madrid have nevertheless lost eight of their last 25 Champions League away games, winning nine. They have been beaten in four of the last 11.

The Merengues ceded the Spanish title to Barcelona, finishing ten points behind their great rivals in the Liga standings.

Links and trivia

Leonardo Bonucci faced Real Madrid in the Champions League five times for Juventus, most notably in the 2016/17 final in which a side including Dani Carvajal, Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos won 4-1 in Cardiff.

Josip Juranović played 90 minutes in both games as Celtic lost 3-0 at home and 5-1 away against Madrid in last season's Champions League group stage.

Ancelotti was Bayern coach between 2016 and 2018, winning the Bundesliga in 2016/17 and two German Super Cups.

New Union coach Nenad Bjelica played in La Liga for Albacete (1993–96), Real Betis (1996–98) and Las Palmas (1998/99).

Bjelica came up against Real Madrid three times, all with Albacete, losing one game and drawing the other.

Have played together:
Kevin Volland & Aurélien Tchouaméni (Monaco 2020–22)
Lucas Tousart & Ferland Mendy (Lyon 2017–19)
Diogo Leite & Éder Militão (Porto 2018/19)
Rani Khedira & Antonio Rüdiger (Stuttgart 2011–14)

Rani Khedira is the brother of Sami, who played for Real Madrid between 2010 and 2015, winning the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League, the 2014 UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, the 2011/12 Liga and the Copa del Rey in 2011 and 2014.

Madrid forward Joselu was born in Stuttgart, living in Germany until his family returned to Spain when he was four.

Have played in Germany:
David Alaba (Bayern 2008–21; Hoffenheim 2011 loan)
Antonio Rüdiger (Stuttgart 2011–15)
Toni Kroos (Bayern 2006–14, Leverkusen 2009–10 loan)
Jude Bellingham (Dortmund 2020–23)
Joselu (Hoffenheim 2012–14, Eintracht Frankfurt 2013/14 loan, Hannover 2014/15)
Dani Carvajal (Leverkusen 2012/13)

International team-mates:
Robin Gosens, Kevin Volland & Antonio Rüdiger (Germany)
Josip Juranović & Luka Modrić (Croatia)
Christopher Trimmel & David Alaba (Austria)

Spain, with Carvajal and Joselu coming on as substitutes and Fran García and Kepa Arrizabalaga unused replacements, beat a Croatia side including Juranović and Modrić in the UEFA Nations League final on 18 June. Carvajal, Joselu and Modrić all scored in the penalty shoot-out.

Three days earlier, Joselu scored Spain's winner in a 2-1 semi-final defeat of Bonucci's Italy. Carvajal, Kepa and Fran García were unused substitutes.

Juranović and Modrić were in the Croatia side that eliminated a Brazil team featuring Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Éder Militão in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. Modrić scored his penalty in the shoot-out, while Rodrygo missed his as Croatia won 4-2 after a 1-1 draw.

Modrić scored Croatia's first goal in a 3-1 Nations League win away to an Austria side including Alaba and Trimmel on 25 September 2022.

András Schäfer scored for Hungary in a 2-2 draw against Germany, whose side included Rüdiger and Kroos, in the UEFA EURO 2020 group stage. Schäfer's Union Berlin team-mates Gosens and Volland also played for Germany.

Alaba was on target in Austria's 2-0 friendly win against Bonucci's Italy on 20 November 2022.

Bonucci provided the assist in Italy's 1-0 Nations League win against Bellingham's England on 23 September 2022.

Bonucci also scored from the penalty spot against Kroos' Germany in the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-finals. Germany eventually won 6-5 on penalties, Bonucci missing in the shoot-out and Kroos converting.

Kroos scored for Germany in a 4-1 win over Bonucci's Italy in a March 2016 friendly. Rüdiger and Volland also represented Germany.

Kroos and Bonucci both provided assists in a 1-1 draw between Italy and Germany in a friendly on 15 November 2013.

Latest news

Union Berlin

Union ended a 16-game run without a victory in all competitions with a 3-1 win at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

Kevin Volland opened the scoring, finding the net for the second league game in a row, before Benedict Hollerbach and substitute Mikkel Kaufmann both scored their first goals for Union.

That was Union's first victory since winning 4-1 at Darmstadt on 26 August, although they had drawn three of their four games before the weekend.

Union's Bundesliga game at Bayern, scheduled for 2 December, had to be postponed because of heavy snowfall. It has been rearranged for 24 January.

Union ended a nine-game losing streak in the Bundesliga with a 1-1 draw at home to Augsburg on 25 November thanks to a late Volland equaliser. It was only their fourth goal in those ten league matches.

After losing 13 of their previous 14 games, the exception the Matchday 4 draw at Napoli, Union announced on 15 November that the club had parted company with coach Urs Fischer after more than five years in charge. They appointed Croatian coach Nenad Bjelica as his replacement 11 days later.

Before the draw in Naples the Berlin club had lost 12 successive games, their longest run of defeats in professional football.

A 4-0 defeat at Leverkusen on 12 November was Union's ninth successive Bundesliga reverse after two wins at the start of the season and sent the team to the bottom of the table.

After 13 Bundesliga games Union have already suffered one more defeat than in the whole of last season.

Before winning at the weekend, the Berlin club had not scored in six of their previous nine matches and managed only eight goals in that 16-match winless run.

They were beaten 1-0 at Stuttgart in the German Cup second round on 31 October.

Union started the new season with a 4-1 win against Mainz on 20 August. Kevin Behrens scored three headers, the first player to do so in the Bundesliga since Markus Schroth for Karlsruhe in 1997.

Before losing 3-0 to Leipzig on 3 September, Union were unbeaten at home in 24 Bundesliga games (W16 D8) – a club record. They then suffered four home league defeats in a row, all without scoring, before the draw against Augsburg.

Sheraldo Becker has missed the last three games due to injury.

Danilho Doekhi has been sidelined since suffering a foot injury in the home defeat by Napoli on Matchday 3 and is not expected to return until January.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid have won 17 of their 21 games in all competitions this season (D3 L1).

A five-match winning streak was ended by Saturday's 1-1 draw at Real Betis despite Jude Bellingham giving them the lead.

The England midfielder has 16 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions since joining Madrid in the summer, 12 in La Liga and four in the Champions League.

Madrid's sole defeat in 2023/24 is a 3-1 debut loss at Atlético de Madrid on 24 September.

After the Matchday 5 win over Napoli, Madrid beat Granada 2-0 in La Liga on 3 December with goals from Brahim Díaz and Rodrygo.

Rodrygo had scored in five successive Madrid games before drawing a blank at the weekend and has nine goals in all competitions this season.

Brahim has two goals and two assists in his last five games for Madrid in all competitions, including for Bellingham's goal on Saturday.

Luka Modrić made his 500th Madrid appearance in a 2-1 win at Barcelona on 28 October.

The match also marked Vinícius Júnior's 150th win as a Real Madrid player in his 235th match; he scored 63 goals in those games.

Bellingham dislocated his shoulder on 5 November and did not play again until 26 November.

Dani Carvajal suffered a calf injury against Granada and will be out for several weeks.

Vinícius Júnior went off with a thigh injury in the first half of Brazil's 2-1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat in Colombia on 16 November and is also expected to be out for several weeks.

Eduardo Camavinga suffered a ruptured lateral ligament in his right knee during training with France on 16 November and will be sidelined for several months.

Aurélien Tchouaméni cracked a metatarsal in his left foot at Barcelona and has not played since.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has not played since 5 November due to a hamstring injury, although he was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Arda Güler, who arrived at Real Madrid from Fenerbahçe this summer, injured his meniscus in pre-season and then picked up a muscle problem on 25 September. He is yet to make his debut for the club.

Éder Militão suffered a cruciate ligament tear in his left knee in a 2-0 win at Athletic Club on the opening weekend of the season on 12 August and is expected to be out for several months.

Thibaut Courtois ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training in early August.

The 3-1 win at Almería on 19 August made Ancelotti the coach to have taken charge of the third most league games in Real Madrid's history. He overtook Vicente del Bosque (153), and is now on 167 games, behind only Zinédine Zidane (183) and Miguel Muñoz (424).

A 2-1 win at home to Real Sociedad on 17 September took Ancelotti above Zidane to move into second place on the all-time list of most Real Madrid wins as a coach, having overseen 173 victories. The Italian, now on 185 wins, is behind only Miguel Muñoz (357).

On 30 October Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy awarded at the Ballon d'Or Gala for the world's best Under-21 player. Camavinga finished fourth in the poll.

Vinícius Júnior finished sixth in the voting for the Ballon d'Or 2023, with Modrić in tenth place and Bellingham 18th.

On 17 November, Bellingham also won the Golden Boy Award 2023, which recognises the best Under-21 player at a European club. Arda Güler was also among the 25 finalists.

Modrić was seventh in the vote for UEFA Player of the Year 2022/23.

On 31 October Vinícius Júnior signed a new contract keeping him at Madrid until 2027. Rodrygo has agreed a new deal until 2028 while Camavinga and Federico Valverde have penned extensions until 2029.