As the dust settles on another round of league campaigns across Europe, the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) will be wrapped up with the final fixture between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid on Saturday, June 1, before all attention switches to the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
Set to be hosted in one of the most iconic stadia in the world—Wembley Stadium, England—the UCL final clash between Madrid and Dortmund is beyond laying a claim on the most coveted club trophy, it’s a decider of the biggest personal football accolades to follow and a befitting farewell for two legends of the game: Toni Kroos and Marco Reus.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 29, 2024
Madrid currently boasts of 14 UCL trophies, seven more than any club, and a whopping 13 more than Dortmund who has only reached the competition’s final twice—2013’s 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in Wembley and a 3-1 victory over Juventus in 1997.
Although the UCL superiority and know-how between these historic clubs is glaringly wide, BVB’s run into their third UCL final passes the eye test, setting the stage for a possible shocker, particularly after Atalanta’s improbable 3-0 victory over a 51-match unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final last Wednesday.
Road to Wembley: Dortmund vs Madrid
Many didn’t fancy Dortmund’s chances after the conclusion of the group stage draw for the 2023/24 UCL season, seeing as they were drawn in the Group of Death that has Paris Saint Germain, Newcastle United, and AC Milan.
After failing to get a win in their opening matches ( 2-0 loss to PSG and a goalless draw against Milan) the German side overturned their fortunes by grabbing a 1-0 away victory at Newcastle, and eventually finishing top of the Group.
2023/24 UCL Group F standings after all matches.
If that wasn’t much indicator of what to expect from them, their dogged performances against Atletico Madrid and PSG in the quarter and semi-final respectively, enforced them as a contender, having scaled past PSV Eindhoven in the knockout stage.
Madrid’s route to the UCL final
You’d have an easier time drinking from a broken cup than trying to find fault with the claim that the UCL is a competition where you play at your best for 90 minutes and still lose to Real Madrid. It has happened over the past season, and this season wasn’t an exception with Carlo Ancelotti on the sidelines yet again.
The Los Blancos won all their group stage matches, before defeating RB Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. What we witnessed between Real and defending champions Manchester City in the quarter-final was arguably the most intense double-legged UCL fixture this season.
After holding City to a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, Ancelloti and his boys were completely outplayed by Pep Guardiola’s machines at the Etihad, but the La Liga giant somehow thumped the English side on a penalty shootout—after a 1-1 draw—thanks to Andriy Lunin’s heroics.
Madrid players celebrating with Lunin, after the Ukrainian made two saves in their 4-3 shootout win over City.
Ancelotti’s 81st-minute substitution was the game-changer against Bayern Munich in the semi-final, as Espanyol loanee Joselu, came on to score a late brace that cancelled Alphonso Davies’ opener at the Bernabéu after both clubs had played a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena.
Dortmund vs Madrid: what to expect
Come Saturday, we’d be seeing a Real Madrid team that’s coming off a domestic double against a Dortmund side that ended the season trophyless. The Spanish giants won the Super Cup and their 36th La Liga with just a single loss incurred through 38 matches, as against Die Borussen who finished fifth on the Bundesliga log.
While the disappointing domestic season might serve as an added impetus for the Edin Terzić-led side to go all out in the final, they face an opposition who attacks every UCL game as though they’re not the most successful club in the competition.
Buoyed by two leading contenders for the 2024 Ballon d’Or—Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham—winning the UCL is almost a certainty that the Golden Ball will once again head to the Santiago Bernabéu, adding an extra layer of motivation for the La Liga Champions, as they look to give their leaders Nacho Fernández and Kroos a befitting farewell.
⚪️🇪🇸 Nacho’s current plan remains to leave Real Madrid as free agent at the end of the season after his 6th Champions League final, waiting for official communication.
🇺🇸🇸🇦 He’s considering options from MLS and Saudi Arabia, no intention to stay in Europe despite Inter links. pic.twitter.com/DVWDftQmSh
Despite both teams’ explosiveness, pace, and precision, it’s not likely a huge scoreline will be witnessed, as the last five UCL finals have produced just six goals, with four ending 1-0.
Dortmund vs Madrid head-to-head stat
Both teams have met 14 times, and as you might have guessed, Madrid has won more—six—as opposed to Dortmund’s three.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sergio Ramos during Madrid vs Dortmund UCL group stage clash in 2017.
They last locked horns in 2017/18 when Madrid came out top 3-2 at the Bernabeu and 3-1 at the Signal Iduna Park.
Team news and possible lineup
David Alaba, Sabastian Haller, and Ramy Bensebaini are confirmed to miss the final action, while Aurelien Tchouameni’s fitness is a doubt.
