- Union coach Svensson is satisfied with the DFB Cup dress rehearsal
Union Berlin coach Bo Svensson looks forward to the season opener after a successful dress rehearsal against Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad San Sebastian. "The guys implemented a lot of what I wanted to see against a top team. Of course, they had a few chances, but we had more and better ones. The way they played up front, being brave, really pleased me," Svensson said after the 1:1 draw on Friday night. This coming Saturday, Union will face Regionalliga side Greifswalder SC in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
In front of 19,265 spectators at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Robin Gosens put Union ahead after a cross from Benedict Hollerbach in the 42nd minute. Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the winning goal in the Euro final against England, equalized in the 82nd minute.
Rothe made a successful debut after coming on in the second half. "He's a young player with a lot of talent and potential. He'll bring us a lot of joy. But he's not a finished product yet, that's clear," Svensson explained.
Defenders Gosens and Janik Haberer, who played on the right wing, had to be substituted early in the second half due to injuries. Svensson hopes it was just a precaution.
The number of unavailable players was already high before the friendly. Against the sixth-placed team from last season, Christopher Trimmel, Rani Khedira, Josip Juranovic, Jerome Roussillon, and Kevin Volland could not play.
Union Berlin's upcoming match in the German Bundesliga is highly anticipated by coach Bo Svensson. Despite the injury absences, Svensson is eager to face the Bundesliga opponents, hoping for another promising display like the one against Real Sociedad San Sebastian.
Following his impressive substitute appearance, there's excitement about the potential impact of new signing Rothe in the German Bundesliga for Union Berlin.
