There are less than 48 hours till the end of another intriguing campaign of the biggest competition in club football.
The Champions League final between record 14-time winners Real Madrid and German giants, Borrusia Dortmund is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 1 June 2024. The best of the best will be crowned on the ultimate stage when the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League season concludes at London’s prestigious Wembley Stadium.
For the third time in the last 13 years, the English National Stadium will host this showpiece event and there is no better backdrop. Real Madrid, who on paper are the favourites to win the competition will be pushing for a stupendous 15th title to maintain their status as the Kings of Europe, dominating this European competition.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team who picked up their 36th La Liga title and their 13th Spanish Super Cup – brushing aside Barcelona in this season’s final – are on the verge of collecting their third silverware. Knocking out big European teams like Manchester City and Bayern Munich on the road to the final, the Spanish giants will bring nothing short of a fight to London on Saturday night.
As ever, the Los Blancos team is star-studded and filled with so much quality that they can easily field a formidable side and still have star players on the bench ready to come on and perform excellently at any given time.
Key players such as Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and a few others have more vital roles to play for a victory.
Vinicius and Bellingham who have both already picked up three Player of The Match awards in the UCL this season are also the top Balon d’Or contenders and a Champions League victory would do well to bolster both their chances of laying claim to the award. The Englishman would be playing against his former club in his home country and would share the field with his former teammate and fellow countryman Jadon Sancho, making it a rather special game for the 20-year-old.
One can easily predict a masterclass display from Madrid in the defence, midfield and most assuredly the attack. However, knowing how entirely unpredictable the game of football is especially at this stage, it is safe to say they undoubtedly have a higher chance of winning but we just can’t write off Borrusia Dortmund who promise to be a serious threat to Madrid’s prowess.
The year of the underdog?
As last week’s Ademola Lookman-inspired Europa League final showed, BVB also have a fair chance of winning the European Cup for just the second time in the club’s history. After finishing fifth in the Bundesliga this season and missing out on the league cup, they’ll want to end the season on an all-time high.
Head Coach Edin Terzic insists “We’re capable of beating any opponents” while talking to UEFA about the final against Madrid. The German’s words can also be judged right based on the club’s fantastic performance in this Champions League campaign, finishing first in the Group of Death ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle without losing a single game.
The Germans qualified for the final after beating PSG 1-nil home and away in the semi-final stage and previously knocking out PSV and Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
The latter game showed how impressive Dortmund can be after their 4-2 win over Atleti at the Signal Iduna Park after losing by 2 goals to 1 at the Wanda Metropolitano the previous week.
Dortmund, known majorly for developing talents have quite a few which could come in handy for the final, one key player being Jadon Sancho. The 24-year-old who has been astounding in the knockout stages of this campaign and will now have to step up to the big stage when it matters most. Other players like Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen among others should also be looked out for as they are capable of causing damage.
BVB have experience right across the team and it could be a major boost to their course as players like Matt Hummels, Marco Reus, Emre Can and Nicholas Fullkrug have played in more competitive games and would help strike the balance of youth and experience in the BVB team.
Indeed, Hummels scored the decider against PSG and has picked up three Man of The Match awards tying with Madrid’s Bellingham and Vinicius. The German is tipped to have a top-notch performance on what could be his last game for the Black and Yellows.
Notably, what makes this match even more tantalizing is the fact that it would be the last time Toni Kroos and Marco Reus represent their respective clubs with both players set to depart this summer.
It will also be the last time we witness Kross and Luka Modric in the heart of the Madrid midfield. The departure of the midfield maestros only brings more emotion to an already intrigue-filled match.
Whichever player gets to bid a perfect farewell after being elevated to the pinnacle of European glory remains yet to be seen. Either way, it could yet be decided by one of the many bright young talents on the pitch.
