Berlin, Nov 27 (IANS): Union Berlin have appointed former Trabzonspor coach Nenad Bjelica as head coach to succeed Urs Fischer, the club announced.

The former Kaiserlautern midfielder will take the helm at the relegation-threatened capital outfit, who currently sit in the relegation zone in 17th place, reports Xinhua.

Bjelica brings plenty of expertise after lifting Wolfsberger AC from the third division into Austria's top flight, before leading Austria Wien into UEFA Champions League group stage.

"With Nenad Bjelica, we were able to gain an experienced trainer who has worked successfully in various countries," said Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler. "He has a clear idea of how he wants to lead our team and what kind of football we want them to play. We entrust him with the task of leading them to success again."

In addition to spells with Spezia in Italy and Poland's Lech Poznan, former Croatian international Bjelica also took the reins at Dinamo Zagreb from 2018 to 2020, where he clinched a domestic double before reaching the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League.

"Union is a very well-run club in one of the top leagues in Europe. My job is to lead the team out of a difficult phase and bring out their strengths again. I want to see well-organised, active and dominant football and players who are ready to take responsibility," said Bjelica.

Union Berlin will now travel to Portugal to play Sporting Braga in the Champions League group stage on November 29, before facing record German champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on December 2.

"I am convinced that Nenad Bjelica, with his many years of experience as a player and coach, will fit in well with our team. We will do everything we can to improve the sporting situation and successfully master the mission of staying up. I'm looking forward to working together," said Union's sporting director Oliver Ruhnert.