Union against Rangers
First match of the season at the Alte Försterei:
The Bundesliga team of 1. FC Union Berlin will play its first home friendly of the new season against Rangers FC on Saturday, 27 July 2024. Kick-off at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 17.00.
The lie of the land
For head coach Bo Svensson's team, Saturday's match will be the third in their current Summer preparations: After a 4-0 win at BSG Chemie Leipzig, the team celebrated a late 3-2 victory over FC Dynamo Kiev at the end of their first training camp a week ago.
Rangers Football Club, the official name of the Scottish record champions, have already played one more game, but are much closer than the Eisernen to the end of their preparations and the start of their own league campaign on 3 August 2024. A 1:2 against Ajax Amsterdam and a 0:2 against Manchester United were followed by a 1:2 against English Third Division side Birmingham City on Wednesday evening.
The opponent's check
The club, which was founded in 1872, has now won 55 national championships and is still one title ahead of its closest and city rival Celtic Glasgow. However, the green-whites has shrunk steadily the difference in recent years, with head coach Philippe Clement's team only managing one success (2020/21) against Celtic's twelve triumphs in the last 13 years.
The 2023/24 season in the north of Great Britain was just as close as the national title collection: After 33 games in the regular season and the six-match championship round, the green-whites and blues were separated by just three points and Rangers only narrowly lost the National Cup final 1-0 to Celtic. The Gers played a total of 59 competitive matches in five competitions in the runners-up double. In the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, the club from the third-largest city in the United Kingdom first lost to PSV Eindhoven, but then advanced to the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League. There, Portuguese champions Benfica Lisbon were too strong for 180 minutes and ended the Scots' international season. But even in a difficult season they were able to lift a trophy. Before Christmas 2023 they secured the National League Cup with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen FC.
There were two indispensable performers during this playing odyssey: goalkeeper Jack Butland and right-back James Tavernier each made 58 appearances, while captain Tavernier once again showed his attacking qualities and, despite his position, became the most important figure in front of goal with 36 scoring points (24 goals and 12 assists).
Personnel
Despite the return of the European Championship players, head coach Bo Svensson will still have to do without some players on Saturday, with Alexander Schwolow, Jérôme Roussillon and Kevin Volland still missing through injury.
Service information
The stadium will open its gates at 15.00. Due to a parallel event at the Parkbühne Wuhlheide and restrictions on public transport, early arrival is recommended. Further information can be found here.
A few remaining tickets are still available both online and in all stationary ticket centers. Bundesliga admission prices apply.
As usual, Union will also be providing information about the match via the club's own live ticker and in Social Media
