Football Test Match: Union Berlin Travels Without Oliver Burke to Training Camp

Union Berlin faces a challenging pre-season as striker Oliver Burke is set to miss a substantial portion of their training camp in Austria due to a foot injury sustained in mid-July. Coach Mauro Lustrinelli confirmed Burke would not travel with the team.

Several other key players are also unavailable or have uncertain participation levels. Goalkeepers Frederik Rönnow and Matheo Raab, midfielder Robert Skov, and forward Andrej Ilic are traveling with the squad but their ability to join full team training remains in question. This situation has forced Lustrinelli to rely heavily on younger players, including several from the U19 team, during recent test matches, as the team grapples with numerous injuries and illnesses.

The team's form is a concern, as they are still searching for their first victory after six pre-season test games. The club has made only three new signings: defenders Zeno van den Bosch and Marvin Friedrich, and forward Emmanuel Latte Lath. With just three weeks remaining until their DFB-Pokal opener against Eintracht Braunschweig and the league kickoff against Eintracht Frankfurt on August 29th, Lustrinelli expressed confidence that more signings would be made soon.

Lustrinelli is also implementing a tactical shift, moving away from Urs Fischer's defensive-minded five-man backline to a more offensive four-man formation with higher pressing. "I want to build a cool project at Union," Lustrinelli stated, aiming for a more attractive style of play. The week-long training camp in Austria provides an opportunity to further develop this new strategy, including a friendly match against Aris Limassol FC.

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I want to build a cool project at Union.