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Real Madrid will face Union Berlin at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening to begin their Champions League campaign.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti will be motivated to have a strong UCL debut, particularly following a faultless start to the La Liga season.
Going into tonight’s match against Union Berlin, the Real Madrid manager is not totally satisfied with his squad.
Ancelotti worries about the defense of the squad
Carlo Ancelotti is worried with Real Madrid’s defensive play, according to AS.
In the first 15 minutes of games this season, the Spanish powerhouses have let up three goals.
In fact, Getafe scored at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 11th minute while Los Blancos conceded in only the third minute of their match against UD Almeria.
This last weekend saw a continuation of the pattern as Real Sociedad broke through Kepa Arrizabalaga’s defense after only five minutes of play.
Ancelotti should be concerned by this pattern, particularly when it comes to Union Berlin. The Bundesliga team will be competing in the Champions League for the first time, but their attacking unit is no pushover.
The East German heavyweights are renowned for their incisive counterattacks in particular, which might cause problems for Real Madrid.
Is the absence of Courtois & Militao a problem?
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It should be mentioned that Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, two of Real Madrid’s most important defensive players, have missed the start of the new campaign.
Both players have been declared out for a significant portion of the season, if not the whole 2023–24 campaign.
Therefore, it has been very difficult for Los Blancos to maintain defensive consistency, and until players like David Alaba step up, it may continue against Union Berlin.
The international from Austria has previous experience playing against Union Berlin and has already issued a warning before the match.