Continental supremacy will be on the line at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening, when Borussia Dortmund lock horns with Real Madrid in a mouthwatering 2023/24 UEFA Champions League showdown.
For Borussia Dortmund, victory would end 27 years of pain and agony and seal their second Champions League title win. Coming up trumps in the Group of Death with Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United was a sign of things to come for the Black and Yellow, who have beaten PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to book their tickets to Wembley.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are gunning for their record 15th Champions League crown, having last won the elite competition back in the 2021/22 campaign. They did not drop a single point in the group stage against Napoli, SC Braga and Union Berlin, before overcoming RB Leipzig, defending champions Manchester City and Dortmund’s arch-rivals Bayern Munich in the knockout rounds to reach the grand finale.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid—Team News
Borussia Dortmund
Most of Borussia Dortmund’s squad are in full health, with Ramy Bensabaini (knee) and Julien Duranville (muscle) both sidelined. At the same time, Sebastien Haller has returned to team training following an ankle issue. However, Haller is certain to play second fiddle to Niclas Fullkrug, scorer of Dortmund’s first of two goals against PSG across their semi-final clashes.
Supporting Fullkrug shall be the pacey and agile Karim Adeyemi and Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho, who memorably completed 12 successful dribbles in the semi-final first leg against PSG. Julian Brandt is expected to complete the Dortmund attack, with Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer holding the midfield unit. The Champions League final showdown at Wembley will mark Marco Reus’ last Dortmund appearance before he leaves the Signal Iduna Park, and the German attacker will be hoping to make a massive impact if called upon from the bench.
Mats Hummels should take his place in defence after scoring a bullet header in Dortmund’s victory over PSG in the semis. The German joins Nico Schlotterbeck, Julian Ryerson and Ian Maatsen in the steady back four, which protects goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Real Madrid
As for Real Madrid, David Alaba is still confined to the treatment room owing to his ACL injury. As a result, Aurelien Tchouameni has failed to recover from his foot problem, joining Alaba on the sidelines. This means Nacho Fernandez should don the captain’s armband for one final time before his anticipated departure. The Spaniard joins Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy in the white brick wall.
Also sporting the famous white shirt for the final time, Toni Kroos is expected to feature alongside Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga in a classy midfield trident, with maestro Luka Modric primed to come off the bench. Former Dortmund star Jude Bellingham is indispensable to Real Madrid’s XI, bringing flair, dynamism and physicality to the No.10 role. Joselu’s semi-final heroics against Bayern Munich should not be enough to disrupt Vinicius Jr.’s and Rodrygo Goes’s Brazilian partnership up front.
Los Blancos’ preparations ahead of the Champions League final has encountered a problem with Andriy Lunin battling flu for three consecutive days and missing crucial training sessions. He is set to travel to London separately to minimise any risk of infection, and even if Lunin recovers from the bug, fit-again Thibaut Courtois is the more likely goalkeeper to start the Champions League final.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid—Predicted Lineups
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid—Key Players
Borussia Dortmund—Marcel Sabitzer
Marcel Sabitzer played a key role in helping Dortmund reach the Champions League final. The Austrian international put in his best performance in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the quarter-final, bagging a goal and two assists to help the Black and Yellow progress to the next round. Creative and dynamic with a knack for scoring goals, the 30-year-old will look to make a defining impact in Dortmund’s biggest campaign game.
Real Madrid—Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham has been one of Europe’s best players this season, delivering the goods in plenty of big moments for Real Madrid. It will be his first Champions League final but it is a golden opportunity for the creative midfielder to haunt his former employers at the weekend. Already having proven himself to be a big-ticket player, all eyes will be on the England international and how he combines with Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo in the final third.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
