Wembley hosts the Champions League final for the first time since 2013 tonight and while Borussia Dortmund fell short 11 years ago against arch-rivals Bayern, the competition’s most successful team wouldn’t be in London this week if it wasn’t for Joselu blocking a storybook rematch last month. Dortmund relish their underdog tag, but can they produce another surprise one final time?
Who will step up in showpiece finale?
Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
Referee: Slovenia’s Slavko Vincic (officiated 38 UCL, 30 UEL games)
UEFA Champions League Final – Kick-off at 8pm BST
Live on TNT Sports in UK, CBS and Paramount+ in US
- German duo Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, Dortmund’s two remaining players from the side who finished runners-up at Wembley in the 2013 Champions League final, will both depart for pastures new this summer. The latter’s injury luck has curtailed his influence while Hummels, a Euro 2024 omission, hasn’t been shy in public with how he feels in recent days
- Meanwhile, Toni Kroos prepares for the final club game of his career. The highly-decorated Real Madrid midfielder, 34, who spent eight years at Bayern, announced in May he’ll retire after representing Die Mannschaft on home soil in the upcoming European Championships (June 14-July 14)
- Much of the focus in England, naturally, has centred around Birmingham boy Jude Bellingham and Camberwell-born Jadon Sancho after holders Manchester City were knocked out on penalties in the quarterfinals by Los Blancos. Bellingham against his former side, Sancho on-loan at BVB and settled again enjoying football after Manchester United ostracism
GIVEN the multiple storylines, impending retirements and player moves this summer many are declaring this Champions League final the end of an era and they’d be right, but it’s also the start of a new one. Real Madrid boast two Ballon d’Or contenders, both 23 or younger, and Dortmund gave licence for one to blossom.
It was for the biggest games, high-pressure situations and unforgettable occasions like these that Real signed Bellingham for, to rule their midfield and wield his influence as he has done so expertly since officially joining 11 months ago today.
Madrid mastery: Bellingham’s honour roll, so far
La Liga: 19 goals, six assists in 28 appearances (2,324 minutes)
Champions League: four goals, four assists in 10 (909 mins)
Domestic cups: two assists in 3 apps (326 mins)
Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year
La Liga Player of the Season, also in Team of the Season
FIFPRO Men’s World 11: 2013, 2023 Golden Boy
Contrast: 14 goals, seven assists in 42 apps (all comps) for Dortmund in 2022-23
2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric and a retiring Toni Kroos have been steady constants, but Bellingham’s ability to do it all in midfield – outduel opponents out of possession, evade capture on it – quickly made him stand above his teammates.
It hasn’t even been a full year yet, and the 29-cap England international dominates the pre-match build-up – back at his national Wembley home again, two months after scoring a late equaliser in England’s 2-2 friendly draw with Belgium.
Thierry Henry has stressed on CBS that Madrid is Vinicius Junior’s team and while an understandable stance, given the Brazilian’s longevity and increased influence since Karim Benzema’s surprise departure for Saudi, the proof is in the pudding.
PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe is expected to be announced as a teammate of both next week after inking a multi-year contract as a free agent, adding another layer of intrigue to how they combine in future – but they wouldn’t be in this privileged position without two unsung heroes costing far less and floating under-the-radar.
Chief among them is well-travelled forward Joselu, 34, on-loan from Espanyol in a move they’re expected to make permanent this summer. He’s scored 17 goals in 48 games, averaging a goal every 123 minutes, but none were more crucial than the three-minute Bayern brace to complete another remarkable UCL comeback.
Andriy Lunin, a £7.5m signing from Zorya Luhansk in 2018 has stepped up to the breach and played like a no. 1 after Thibaut Courtois’ serious ACL and meniscus injuries this season.
From his showing against Braga in group stage play, to swatting away all before him in Leipzig and an inspired display in their eventual shootout win over Pep Guardiola’s City, the Ukrainian has trained alone through illness this week and won’t feature.
Courtois has won them finals on his own in the past, but they wouldn’t have reached this stage at all without his 25-year-old understudy – not Kepa Arrizabalaga – relishing the responsibility.
Predicted XI (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Mendy, Rudiger, Nacho, Carvajal; Kroos, Camavinga, Valverde; Bellingham; Vinicius, Rodrygo.
BVB must be brave, to have no regrets
It’s easy to forget, amid a reported £53m boost to London’s finances as Wembley plays Champions League final hosts, Borussia Dortmund have unfinished business in northwest London and poetic justice would see them topple the La Liga champions.
Arjen Robben’s mazy run-and-scuffed-finish, beyond Hummels and centre-back partner Neven Subotic, saw Bayern break BVB hearts eleven years ago so it’d only be right for their 35-year-old defender – who headed them into the final in Paris – to produce another defensive masterclass as he draws the curtain on his second spell.
Their head coach Edin Terzic said they hadn’t travelled so far to be bystanders when it matters most in his pre-match press conference, and that sentiment should be shared by a bullish group of players with points to prove for a variety of reasons.
“You don’t play a final, you win a final and that is our clear goal. We weren’t favourites against Atletico or Paris… if we are brave, not here to see Madrid win their next trophy, we’re going to have a chance.”
- Terzic is aware the odds are stacked against them, but the match is there to be won
Hummels and Reus notwithstanding, there are many storylines to follow ahead of a final where most expect Real will cruise to victory. Niclas Fullkrug was their first-leg hero against Paris Saint-Germain on May 1, latching onto Nico Schlotterbeck’s lofted pass and controlling beautifully before steering beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma.
There is more to his game than just scoring goals but it’ll be a mighty task to link midfield with attack up against his compatriot and Euro 2024 teammate Antonio Rudiger, far from faultless defensively but even more intense for games like these.
Dortmund have historically been deemed a neutral’s dream to watch play, given their tendency to be involved in high-scoring games where defensive solidity is an afterthought. Yet domestic inconsistencies aside, that isn’t the case here – leading the competition’s statistics with tackles, clearances, ball recoveries and clean sheets.
They’ll need to be at their disruptive and dilligent best out of possession, as Real have multiple ways to open up defences – a boring game better suits the Bundesliga giants, even if it’s not the best spectacle for hundreds of millions worldwide.
“We kept two clean sheets against Paris, that’s not normal. We now also know that we can beat any opponent in the world… if we all believe that, we also have a good chance of winning.”
- Schlotterbeck on BVB’s defensive pedigree
It’ll be interesting to see how Chelsea loanee fullback Ian Maatsen fares, given his tendency to fly forward in transition – ala Alphonso Davies – as well as positional discipline that can see him get caught out and tread carefully with a booking.
Dortmund can’t afford any cheap yellow cards, especially there or central midfield where Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer will likely play an important role. Both have their critics, Sabitzer often guilty of drifting through games while many feel there’s a ceiling on Can’s capabilities against the very best, which again will be stress-tested.
Karim Adeyemi’s flashes of electricity are tempered by his inconsistency, Julian Brandt’s maturity has shone through this term while Jadon Sancho’s joie de vivre has returned as the 24-year-old looks to cap his loan with football’s greatest club prize.
Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who made eight saves over two legs against PSG, will almost certainly be busy but the biggest question is whether his teammates can adequately protect him, as they have done to this point? We’ll soon find out.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Maatsen, Schlotterbeck, Hummels, Ryerson; Sabitzer, Can; Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi; Fullkrug.
Picture source: Getty Images
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