By Rune Gjerulff @runegjerulff
Here is our preview, including predicted line-ups, for Thursday’s Europa League round of 16 second leg clash between Royale Union SG and Union Berlin.
Union Berlin will be looking to continue their impressive European campaign when they travel to Belgium to take on Royale Union SG on Thursday.
The Germans are coming off a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg, while Royale Union staged a comeback to see off Genk 2-1 on the road.
The first leg was anything but dull, ending in a 3-3 draw after Die Eisernen came back three times, and Union coach Urs Fischer is expecting another tight encounter tonight.
“Both teams want to win, I am sure of that,” Fischer told reporters before the game.
“It’s a battle of equals, so I expect a difficult game. For us it’s about showing our true face and avoiding mistakes. We want to go through to the next round and to do that we will have to push ourselves to the limit.
With the exception of Andras Schäfer, Fischer will have a full squad to choose from.
Given Fischer’s strict rotation policy, Josip Juranovic may get a rest after starting Union’s last three games. But after scoring and playing a key role in the last two games, there’s a chance that the Croatian international will start again tonight.
If he is benched, Christopher Trimmel would start on the right side of defense, with Jeorme Roussillon and Niko Giesselmann battling it out for the left wing-back position.
Meanwhile, Jordan and Kevin Behrens are competing for the spot next to Sheraldo Becker up front.
Click here to see our predicted lineups for the game.