Highlights
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Full-time
90'
+ 1
TIME ADDED ON
Three to go...
90'
+ 1
ON THE VOLLEY
Union with a long-throw routine. It's flicked on to Öztunali, who volleys over from the edge of the 'D'.
90'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
89'
Substitution
89'
Substitution
86'
CHANCE!
Teuchert makes Hradecky work to win a corner. Set-piece specialist Marvin Friedrich meets it, but it's straight at the Leverkusen goalkeeper.
82'
Substitution
81'
Substitution
79'
OVER FROM SCHICK
Paulinho sparks a welcome Leverkusen attack. Diaby has a shot blocked, and Schick chips the follow-up comfortably over. Much more like it from the visitors...
76'
CHANGES
Paulinho's on in place of Amiri for Leverkusen, fresh from helping Brazil to Olympic gold. Kruse, who played in Germany's group loss to the tournament winners, has also been hooked. Cedric Teuchert - the match-winner in the teams' last meeting - is on.
76'
Substitution
73'
Substitution
69'
WRONG OPTION
Levin Öztunali dribbles into the Leverkusen box. The ex-Werkself man has a chance to get a shot away, but opts to cut back the other way and release the ball. His attempted pass is blocked, though.
67'
UNION UP THE ANTE
Those fresh Union legs are doing the trick. The home side are enjoying a good spell as Haraguchi takes on a speculative shot from range. It whistles well wide, but the crowd applaud the effort.
64'
Substitution
64'
Substitution
61'
LEVERKUSEN DOING MORE
50'
ALL LEVERKUSEN
Die Werkself are monopolising possession once again at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. They need to need to find a way to get Schick more involved, though...
47'
NO CHANGES
As you were at the start of the second half. Will we see more of the same, or will Union dare to be a little more enterprising in their play?
Kick-off!
45'
+ 2
ALL SQUARE
Diaby draws a save from Luthe at the end of an intriguing first half. His equaliser cancelled out Awoniyi's belter, setting us up very nicely for the restart.
Half-time
37'
CONTRASTING STYLES
Leverkusen build patiently with Frimpong, who releases the ball to Demirbay. He jinks past his marker, but is eventually crowded out. Union win back possession and immediately launch a ball up towards Awoniyi. The Nigerian cuts inside, but can't find a man with his attempted pass into the middle.
35'
EVEN STEVENS
Goal attempts
0off target
2on target
4off target
2on target
DIABY FLYING SOLO
© Matthias Koch via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Matthias Koch
AWONIYI-HA!
© O.Behrendt via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Contrast
33'
NO WAY THROUGH
Leverkusen are controlling possession, bu haven't managed to make any sort of in-roads since levelling. That's credit to a very well-drilled Union side, who lost only one of 17 home matches in last season's Bundesliga.
30'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
18'
KICK IT LIKE TAIWO
Awoniyi never got the chance at Liverpool, but he's scored seven times in 34 Bundesliga appearances for Mainz and Union. Just saying...
17'
LEVERKUSEN TAKING CHARGE
Possession (%)
2575
13'
LEVERKUSEN ARE LEVEL!
What a game this is turning out to be. Union concede possession on halfway, and suddenly Moussa Diaby is away. The Frenchman drives forward unchecked, causing two Union defenders to collide, before side-footing into the bottom corner from 12 yards. Luthe got a hand to it, but the shot just had too much power.
8'
WHAT A HIT!!!!
Contender for goal of the opening weekend alert! Max Kruse clips a ball into the path of Union's record signing Taiwo Awoniyi. He has white shirts ahead of him as he approaches the Leverkusen area, but only has eyes for Hradecky's goal. He finds it with aplomb, smashing an unstoppable effort beyond the Finland international's despairing dive. Proper 90s striker finish!
3'
THE KITS
Union are all in red; Leverkusen head to toe in white. Classic colours - let's hope it's a classic encounter.
2'
SCHICK!
Patrick Schick collects a through ball around 25 yards from goal. He drives forward a couple of yards before winding up that trusty left foot of his. Andreas Luthe gets down well to shovel it clear.
Kick-off!
WINNING START
Union opened their season with 1-0 win away to third-tier Türkgücu Munich in the DFB Cup first round. Leverkusen cruised to a 3-0 victory at LOK Leipzig of the fourth division.
WHO IS BAKKER?
Leverkusen's new left-back Mitchel Bakker already has Ajax and Paris Saint-Germain on his CV. Although his playing time cooled down after Mauricio Pochettino succeeded Thomas Tuchel in the PSG dugout, the Dutchman nonetheless concluded the 2020/21 campaign with 40 appearances in all competitions to his name.
GOALBROKERS
Union's main man is Max Kruse. The 33-year-old scored 11 Bundesliga goals and assisted five in his first season as a Union player, earning a place in Germany's Olympics squad as a result. He failed to fire in three, though, as Germany bowed out in the group stage. Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick, meanwhile, joint top scored at the Euros with five goals for the Czech Republic, having struck nine times in the Bundesliga last term. Only Cristiano Ronaldo's superior assist count denied him the tournament's Golden Boot.
LAST SEASON
Union finished their second successive season in the Bundesliga in seventh place, qualifying for European competition for the second time in their history. Leverkusen were two points better off in sixth, reaching the UEFA Europa League.
0:10
WATCH: PERFECT FOOTBALL WEATHER!
UNION TEAM NEWS
Kruse began the new club campaign by grabbing the only goal in a DFB Cup first-round success at third tier Türkgücü München. Former Liverpool striker Awoniyi has made his loan move a permanent one, meanwhile, and he starts this weekend along with new recruit Khedira, while others in Puchacz and Voglsammer are on the bench to begin.
LEVERKUSEN TEAM NEWS
A summer of change at the BayArena has seen Gerardo Seoane come in as head coach, while winger Bailey has left for Aston Villa and the Bender twins have called time on their top-flight careers, highly rated Ivorian defender Kossounou has signed from Belgian champions Club Brugge and starts in defence. Demirbay netted twice in the 3-0 win and retains his place in midfield, but winger Bellarabi went off injured after scoring and has joined Argentine attacker Alario on the sidelines for the trip to Berlin. Wirtz - who starred in Germany's victorious European U21 campaign over the summer - is unable to feature due to a groin strain.
0:05
WATCH: THE HOSTS ARRIVE
UNION STARTING XI!
Luthe - Friedrich, Baumgartl, Knoche - Trimmel (c), Haraguchi, Khedira, Gießelmann - Kruse, Ingvartsen - Awoniyi
UNION SUBS
Rönnow, Jaeckel, Ryerson, Öztunali, Voglsammer, Behrens, Puchacz, Griesbeck, Teuchert
LEVERKUSEN STARTING XI!
Hradecky (c) - Frimpong, Kossounou, Tah, Bakker - Aranguiz, Palacios - Amiri, Demirbay, Diaby - Schick
LEVERKUSEN SUBS
Lunev, Retsos, Paulinho, Baumgartlinger, Pohjanpalo, Wendell, Sinkgraven, Weiser
TEAM NEWS COMING SOON
With less than an hour to kick-off, we're expecting team news from both sides imminently so stay tuned for that.
WELCOME BACK!
The Bundesliga is back for the new 2021/22 season and today's the day for our first Saturday afternoon of fixtures across the German top-flight. On Friday evening Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich opened the campaign in style in an entertaining 1-1 draw, and now it's time to see how the rest can follow.
Welcome along!
Here you can find all the information about Union Berlin against Leverkusen on Matchday 1.