All roads lead to Wembley, England, for the final of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League involving Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
These two teams want to get their hands on the most coveted and the biggest trophy in European club football.
The Black and Yellows are previous winners of the UEFA Champions League, having won it in the 1996/97 season.
Los Blancos are kings of this competition, having won it the most times in history (14), and they will be gunning for their 15th in London.
With an intense show of guts and an unquenching desire for success, stars will definitely hope to put their best foot forward in helping their team become champions.
Real Madrid are odds-on favorites going into the affair, but Edin Terzic’s Dortmund cannot be ruled out due to the mesmeric display in the competition this campaign.
Borussia Dortmund Against Real Madrid Champions League Final Clash Will Be The Last Game Of Two Icons At Their Respective Clubs
This game will see the exit of two great players from both clubs, one retiring from active football, while the other is saying goodbye to his side.
Toni Kroos will be departing Real Madrid after that encounter, having revealed that he will be calling time on his football career after the European Championships.
The UEFA Champions League final will be his last game for the club, likewise, Marco Reus will be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the campaign.
It appears Reus will be heading to the MLS, with Los Angeles Galaxy and St. Louis City SC said to be interested in his services.
Anyway, down to both teams, Real Madrid topped Group C with a clean slate of 6 wins from 6, exiting the group with 18 points and that saw them move into the last 16.
They did light work over RB Leipzig in the round of 16, before securing a spirited victory over Manchester City via penalties in the quarter-finals.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side also miraculously defeated Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, coming back from the dead to snatch the final ticket.
Borussia Dortmund also topped a group that housed Paris Saint Germain, and they drove into the last 16 impressively.
The Black and Yellows subsequently battered PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in the round of 16.
Edin Terzic’s side battled hard in the quarter-finals, before securing an aggregate win over Atletico Madrid dramatically.
In the semis, luck buttered their bread of hard work and they glided past Paris Saint Germain to book their place in the final.
Head-To-Head Stats
Surprisingly, the last 10 meetings between both clubs have been in the UEFA Champions League and it has been a really close contest.
Real Madrid picked up 4 victories in those previous meetings, while Borussia Dortmund recorded 3 wins.
The monumental fixture has ended in a draw on 3 different occasions, with the last clash between the two clubs ending with Los Blancos securing a 3-2 win over the German side.
However, Real Madrid are unbeaten in the previous four matches between the two sides, with Borussia Dortmund’s last win coming in the 2013/14 quarter-finals.
It is no brainer that Real Madrid has a more star-studded squad than Borussia Dortmund, with players like Vinicius Jr, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Antonio Rudiger, and ex-Dortmund man Jude Bellingham amongst others representing the side.
The Black and Yellows will also be hoping that star names like Marcos Reus, Matt Hummels, Marcel Sabitzer, and Jadon Sancho amongst others also produce a stellar display in the final.
Remember, they will also be playing another final in Wembley, like they did in 2013, where they lost to Bayern Munich 2-1, and they will be aiming not to taste defeat this time around.
Team News For Borussia Dortmund
Sebastien Haller is the major doubt for Borussia Dortmund, although Niclas Fullkrug is expected to spearhead the team’s attack with Sancho and Julian Brandt providing support.
Ramy Bensebaini and Julien Duranville will play no part in the game due to medial collateral ligament and muscle injury respectively.
Marco Reus will also be keen on getting some minutes in the final, given it will be his final game for Borussia Dortmund as aforementioned.
Team News For Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti has a tough choice to make ahead of the final, either to stick with Andriy Lunin, who has been instrumental in the Champions League this term, or go for veteran Thibaut Courtois, who returned from injury in April 2024.
Courtois has featured in some games for the club and he has been impressive between the sticks for the side.
Meanwhile, Lunin has also had to deal with flu in the week leading up to the final on June 1, 2024.
David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni will be absent from the game due to injury, with the latter’s potential unavailability certainly ensuring that Toni Kroos will start in his final game in club football.
Expected Line-ups For Borussia Dortmund
Kobel (GK), Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen, Can, Reus, Sabitzer, Adeyemi, Füllkrug, Sancho.
Expected Line-ups For Real Madrid
Courtois (GK), Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy, Kroos, Camavinga, Valverde, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Rodrigo.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
Kick-off Time And Date: 08:00 PM, Saturday, June 1, 2024.
