On Wednesday, 19 July, 1. FC Union Berlin will play their third pre-season friendly of the 2023-24 season as they host Vienna’s SK Rapid. Kick off at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei is at 18:15. 

The lie of the land 

Having defeated Luckenwalde during midweek, Urs Fischer’s side flew to Hungary on Saturday where they disappointedly lost to Zalaegerszegi TE FC 3-2, with Union’s goals coming from Kaufmann and Aaronson. 

The opponents 

SK Rapid, one of the grandest names in Austrian football, have won the top flight 34 times - more than any other side in the country - the Cup 14 times and twice reached the European Cup Winners Cup final. Their famous green shirt has been worn by the likes of Hans Krankl, who would become the top scorer in the Spanish league with Barcelona, Ernst Happel, for whom their stadium in the heart of Vienna was named for many years, and Antonin Panenka who needs no other introduction.

Recently, however, their domestic dominance has been somewhat thwarted by the birth and rise of RB Salzburg (formerly SV Austria Salzburg) who have won 14 league titles since their takeover in 2006, Rapid’s last league win followed soon after in 2007-08.

Current coach, Zoran Barisic, replaced Ferdinand Feldhofer halfway through last season, and though an improvement upon the previous year’s fifth, his fourth-place finish in last season’s Bundesliga must have been a disappointment for SK Rapid, only to be added to by the 2-0 loss in the Cup final to Sturm Graz.  

The friendly at the Alte Försterei is also of added importance for Union’s guests as the first round of the Austrian Cup kicks off only four days later, and every bit of serious competitive preparation will prove necessary for an away trip to the Regionalliga’s SR Donaufeld.

The reunion

For one Unioner, Wednesday’s match is certainly to be an emotional day. Skipper, Christopher Trimmel, who recently celebrated his 300th game for the Eisernen, moved to Rapid’s reserves as a 21 year old where he quickly established himself on the right-hand side for the first team, playing an astonishing 199 times, scoring 24 and setting up a further 25 as he did so.

Service info 

The gates of the Alte Försterei will open around two hours before kick off. The game is not sold out, and there will be tickets available on the day. It will be streamed live on AFTV as well as on Union’s Youtube channel. Union will, as usual, keep you up to date through the Liveticker, as well as in Spanish on Twitter.