Toni Kroos warns about hometown club Union Berlin in Champions League

The German midfielder spoke on his ‘Einfach mal Luppen’ podcast, where he gave his thoughts on Real Madrid’s upcoming UCL opponents.

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos gave his thoughts on Real Madrid’s 23/24 Champions League group, where they will fave Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin. The German side are especially close to home for Kroos, as his brother, Felix, played for the club.

“They are relatively nice and short journeys”, he said, “you have Germany, Portugal and Italy; from here it’s always quite nice. [The UCL Group draw] let me warn a little about Union [Berlin]: I know them I’ve seen some of their games and let me tell you, they won’t be easy.”

Kroos: ‘I have a problem because Union is my football family’

Kroos admitted that the German side are more than a simple country connection, but that the feeling goes deeper: “In the end, of course, I have to say that my family always comes first. But I have a problem because Union is my football family, so it’s not so easy and I don’t want to commit to anything yet”.

Union Berlin finished 4th in the Bundesliga last season, above Leverkusen, Freiburg and Eintracht, the 2022 Europa League winners, and lost just 8 games all season. They also reached the DFB Pokal quarter-finals, eventually going out to losing finalists Eintracht Frankfurt.

When is Real Madrid’s next game?

Real Madrid get their UEFA Champions League campaign underway on Wednesday September 20 against Union Berlin at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. After that, they play away against Serie A champions, Napoli.

As for the league, Real Madrid have won 4 out of 4 games so far this season, and Kroos himself has played 164 minutes of LaLiga action, getting one assist. He was key in Real Madrid’s second half comeback against Getafe in the most recent game and turned the tie in the favour of the home team with his typically sublime range of passing. However, it was the Englishman Jude Bellingham who took home the MVP award, thanks to his late goal that sealed the three points and kept Madrid at the top of the table. Their next league match is on Sunday September 17 against Real Sociedad.