The stage is set for the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. The match will be played at Wembley Stadium on June 1, 2024, to determine the champions of Europe for the 2023/2024 season.
THE FACTS
This is the fifth Champions League final between a Spanish side and a German side and both sides have won two.
Real Madrid are favorites to win the competition.
They’re the most successful club in the competition and have been in form all season.
They have won a record 14 Champions League trophies, winning the last one as recently as 2022.
Their squad has improved since the return of first-choice goalkeeper Thaibut Curtois from injury.
Defender David Alaba is injured and will not feature in the final.
Most of their players are fit and they have immense squad depth.
They are unbeaten in their Champions League campaign this season.
They have already won La Liga and have only lost one game all season in the League.
Dortmund are the underdogs of this match-up
Their progression to the final is in contrast to their performance in the Bundesliga where they finished fifth.
The last time Dortmund reached the Champions League final was in 2013 when they lost to Bayern Munich at Wembley. It was also the only all-German UCL final in history.
This will be Dortmund’s third UCL final in their history.
Dortmund has only won the Champions League once in 1997
Image source @championsleague on X.
One of Dortmund’s players last season; Jude Bellingham now plays for Real Madrid.
Dortmund’s current manager Edin Terzic was a fan in the stands during their last UCL final.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have faced each other a total of 14 times in the competition’s history. Real Madrid won six of the duels while Dortmund won three. Five of the matches ended in a draw. The last time they faced each other in the Champions Trophy League was a group-stage match in the 2017/2018 season where Real Madrid won 3-2.
The last time Dortmund beat Real Madrid in the Champions League was in the second leg of the 2013/2014 quarter-final of the competition which Dortmund won 2-0. Real Madrid progressed to the Semi-final as the aggregate came to 2-3 in favor of Madrid who won the first leg 3-0. Over the course of their encounters, Real Madrid have scored 24 goals while Dortmund have scored 19.
PREDICTION
Image credit; gettyimages
We predict that Real Madrid will win the match and clinch their 15th Champion League trophy. Madrid has immense squad depth and are very flexible in their style of play. They are also vastly more experienced in the competition with some of their players having played in more than three Champions League finals. Their Coach Carlo Ancelotti is also the most successful manager in the competition with five UCLs to his credit and they will also be fielding a squad similar to their UCL winning squad of 2022. All their players are in form. They are currently on a 12-match unbeaten run and have only lost once in their league so far this season. Ballon d’Or favorite Vinicius Jr.’s ability to dribble and create chances will be a big point in Real Madrid’s favor and with one of the most effective attacks in Europe, they can break down defenses.
Dortmund style of play allows them to exploit space behind opponents who come out to attack. Their forwards have a lot of pace and are quick on the counter. This style of play makes it hard to score against teams playing with a low block which Ancelotti has demonstrated that they can do in their match against Manchester City. Dortmund may be tempted to sit back and force Madrid to come out and play, while they hope to pounce on loose balls and counterattack but the quality of Real Madrid’s defense will hold them off. In the end, we think Real Madrid’s quality will overwhelm Dortmund.
Edin Terzić
This is the UCL and as the Dortmund manager Edin Terzić has said, “Anything is possible in one game.” Being the underdogs gives Dortmund the advantage of surprise as we have seen so many times in this competition.
Potential starting line-ups
Real Madrid
Courtois
Carvajal
Éder Militão
Rüdiger
Mendy
Valverde
Kroos
Camavinga
Bellingham
Rodrygo
Vinícius Júnior
Coach; Carlo Ancelotti
Borussia Dortmund
Kobel
Ryerson
Hummels
Schlotterbeck
Maatsen
Can
Sabitzer
Adeyemi
Reus
Sancho
Füllkrug
Coach: Edin Terzić
Who do you think will win?