The Champions League final is finally upon as on Saturday night as Wembley will see either Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid be crowned as European Champions.
Borussia Dortmund are looking to win the competition for the first time in 27 years whilst Real Madrid are searching for their 15th Champions League title.
Edin Terzic’s side have been the surprise package of the tournament and managed to escape the group of death by finishing above AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Newcastle United. They then went on to defeat PSV Eindhoven and the Atletico Madrid in the quarter final before then progressing to the final by defeating Paris Saint Germain.
Dortmund have had much more success in Europe than in their Bundesliga campaign as they finished fifth after finishing second on the final day of the previous season.
As for Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are no strangers to a European final and were European Champions just two seasons ago when Vinicius Junior’s goal secured a 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Madrid were also winners of their group this season with 18 points. They then went on to defeat RB Leipzig, the current holders Manchester City, and then Bayern Munich to reach the final this time. This is the first time that Madrid have managed to reach a European Cup final without losing a match.
Domestically, they have managed to win La Liga with ease, collecting 95 points in total.
Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus will be playing his final game for the club after 428 appearances.
Potentially playing their last game for the club could also be Jadon Sancho who is currently on loan, and Mats Hummels who is yet to agree a new contract and is considering options elsewhere.
As for Real Madrid, Toni Kroos has announced that he is retiring from football after Euro 2024, meaning this will be his final game for Real Madrid after making 464 appearances for the Spanish giants. Five time Champions League winner Nacho could also be on the move in the summer after admitting he is likely to leave the club.
Team News
2013 Champions League winner with Bayern Munich against Dortmund, Austrian defender David Alaba will miss this fixture for Real Madrid as he has been suffering with an ACL injury which will also see him miss Euro 2024.
French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is a doubt for the final as he is struggling to recover from his foot problem in time.
Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who has played in all knockout matches, has been isolating from the rest of the squad due to coming down with the flu but has been training alone and is doing his best to be a part of the squad.
Dortmund are hoping that some of their injured players will return to full fitness for the final, including Ramy Bensebaini and Julien Duranville.
Striker Sebastien Haller has returned to training following an issue with his ankle and is expected to be on the bench, with Niklas Fullkrug starting up front.
GGFN | Matthew Gritton
