In the last game of their pre-season preparations, 1. FC Union Berlin will host the Italian Serie A side Atalanta Calcio on Saturday, 05.08.2023. Kick-off at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei is at 15:30.

The Opponents

Though the club from Bergamo have won only one national title so far - coming with the 3-1 victory in the Coppa Italia final against AC Torino (now FC Torino) in 1962/63 - Atalanta remain one of the best-known clubs in Italy. 

It has been a busy pre-season in Bergamo. In addition to Sead Kolasinac, well-known in the Bundesliga from his time at Schalke 04, as well as having played for Arsenal and Olympique Marseille, the Bergamasques have signed El Bilal Touré from UD Almería and Mitchel Bakker from Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The three are expected to make up for the departures of regular starters Matteo Pessina to Monza, and Jérémie Boga and Ruslan Malinovskyi to Nice and Marseille respectively.

The club, currently coached by Gian Piero Gasperini, finished fifth in Serie A in the 2022/23 season and will compete in the UEFA Europa League next season.

Service info

An hour before Union take to the Alte Försterei pitch on Saturday, the entire team will be welcomed out and introduced by Union head coach Urs Fischer at around 14:30. They will also be wearing the new home kits for the 2023/2024 season for the first time.

After the match, there will be a chance to meet the Union players and get autographs in the Hämmerling-Eck beer garden from 18:00 to 20:00. To ensure that as many people as possible can get something signed, the number is limited to a maximum of two items per person.

Those who can’t be there in person can, as usual, follow it through the club’s Live-Ticker, as well as in English and in Spanish on twitter.