Champions League Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
All eyes will be on Wembley on June 1 when Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid face off in the UEFA Champions League final.
After a rigorous group stage and knockout rounds, both sides emerged as the two surviving teams of the 32 teams that entered the competition.
From the onset, Real Madrid was among the few teams expected to do well at the UCL this year, considering their European pedigree and their summer transfer business.
But no one expected Borussia Dortmund to reach this year's final, especially as they lost arguably their most important player, Jude Bellingham, to Real Madrid early this season.
But the Germans have defied the odds, causing one of the top ten upsets in Europe this season by reaching the final thanks to their togetherness and belief.
However, the Wembley light may be too bright for Dortmund, as this is just their third appearance at the UCL stage, whereas this is Madrid's 18th appearance at this stage–the most of all European clubs.
The last time BVB reached the final was in 2013 when they were still coached by Jürgen Klopp. The German manager led them to Wembley that year in style, beating Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-final before narrowly losing to fellow German side Bayern Munich in the final at Wembley.
With Wembley hosting the the final again this year, Erdin Terzić's side has a chance at redemption and possibly causing the biggest upset this season, but they will meet a team that appears to be born for this competition.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are the undisputed kings of Europe, with no side being able to match their haul of 14 European/UCL titles.
In Ancelotti they have a coach who is a specialist in this competition, having won it four times with AC Milan and Real Madrid previously. He most recently led Madrid to the UCL title win in 2022 and will look to make it two major titles this season for Los Blancos, having already secured the La Liga title at the expense of Barcelona.
That said, the battle between Dortmund and Madrid in Wembley will be epic, and fans will be desperate to get their hands on Champions League tickets for this battle.
But who will be the winner?
Will Madrid record their 15th European title, or will Borussia Dortmund become the first team since Liverpool in 1981 to win Madrid in a European Cup/UCL final?
In this article, we preview the game and analyse each team’s chances in Wembley.
Road to the final
Borussia Dortmund’s journey to the final began last season when they qualified for the UCL by finishing second in the Bundesliga.
Erdin Terzic’s side were on course to win the Bundesliga last season but fell apart in the season’s final game, handing Bayern the title.
This season, they were placed in the most challenging Champions League group alongside Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United.
Being one of the smaller teams in the group, Dortmund were expected to struggle and finish outside the top two.
Not only did they not struggle, but they also won the group by three points while recording huge away wins at the San Siro and against Newcastle at St. James’s Park.
They now defeated PSV 3-1 on aggregate in the round of 16 before beating a much fancied Atletico Madrid 5-3 over two quarter-final legs, including a 4-2 win at home.
They faced their biggest test for the season in the semi-final, where they came up against the mega-rich PSG and Kylian Mbappe. But Dortmund passed the test with flying colours, winning the tie without conceding a goal (2-0).
Meanwhile, like Dortmund, Real Madrid qualified for this year’s UCL by finishing second in La Liga last season.
But unlike the Germans, they faced a more straightforward group as they were drawn alongside Union Berlin, Braga and Napoli.
As expected, Ancelotti’s men won the group, finishing with a 100% winning record while scoring 16 times and conceding seven.
Los Blancos now faced RB Leipzig in the knockout round, narrowly escaping with a 2-1 aggregate win. They continued on that path of narrow escapes in the quarter-final and semi-final, first with Manchester City, whom they needed a penalty shootout to defeat, and Bayern Munich, whom they miraculously won 2-1 despite trailing 1-0 until the 87th minute in the second leg.
Head-To-Head Record
Both sides have met 14 times in the past in this competition, with Real Madrid enjoying supremacy with six wins and five draws. Borussia Dortmund have only three wins against Los Blancos, and they scored 19 times in this fixture, while Madrid has 24 goals.
Match Preview
After riding different challenges to reach their third-ever UCL final, Borussia Dortmund will be desperate to pass their biggest test yet this season when they face Real Madrid on June 1.
Domestically, the Black and Yellow have had an average season by their recent standard, going from title contenders last season to finishing outside the top four in the Bundesliga this season. But they can end the season highly if they win here.
However, considering their form heading into this tie, they are not the favourites here. BVB have been too inconsistent this season, most recently losing 3-0 to relegation-threatened Mainz in the Bundesliga.
Their league form outside of the Signal Iduna Park has been better than their home form, though, and that form extends to the UCL, where they have lost just once outside of Germany this campaign (W3, D2).
However, the only loss in that sequence came against a Spanish team (Atletico Madrid), and the fact that BVB has an average record against Spanish teams (W10, D11, L13) suggests they will be in for another poor outing.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid has an impressive record against German sides in Europe. Los Blancos have faced German sides 70 times, winning 34 and losing 23 times (D13).
They struggled to win against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich this season, though, so it may be far from being a straightforward win.
Yet, Madrid’s record of winning their last eight UCL finals and Carlo Ancelotti’s record of winning four of his five UCL finals puts the Spanish giants as the clear favourites.
Also, their impressive form this season will boost the morale of their fans. Los Blancos have lost just once this season (in normal time).
Only Atletico Madrid has successfully won them this season in all competitions, and they have over 40 wins already this term.
Key Battles
Both teams have areas where they are the strongest, so this game will be won and lost in key areas of the pitch.
Dortmund’s defensive duo of Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck were strong against PSG, keeping two clean sheets against them in both legs.
However, their progress to the final wasn't down to their defensive solidity alone, as PSG were also unlucky, hitting the post six times in both legs. Dortmund have shipped in 43 goals in 35 Bundesliga games this season–an average that will encourage Real Madrid’s potent attack.
Los Blancos may not have the best striker in Europe, but they have players who can create chances and score across the park. Jude Bellingham is registered as a midfielder, but the former Dortmund man is a goal machine, having contributed to 35 goals in 40 appearances this season–23 goals and 12 assists.
He inadvertently leads Madrid’s attack in tandem with the attacking duo of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who both love to score in the UEFA Champions League.
They will undoubtedly trouble Hummels and the Dortmund defensive line, and unless BVB are in their best shape, Madrid could run riot.
Meanwhile, Madrid is strongest in midfield, with Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, and Aurélien Tchouaméni arguably the best midfield pairings in the world currently.
They are expected to dominate the game and cause Dortmund lots of trouble. However, the German side can trouble them with Karim Adeyemi's pace and Jason Sancho's trickery up front.
On their day, both wingers, alongside Julian Brandt, can cause havoc, helping Erdin Terzić's side hit Madrid on the counter.
That said, the last line of defence could be the difference on the night. Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel is a safe pair of hands, but he is nothing compared to Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian is back from injury and is expected to start the final ahead of Andriy Lunin, who has equally been exceptional this term.
Courtois won the Man-of-the-match award the last time Real Madrid played in the UCL final, so should he start, Dortmund will have a brick wall to tear down in Wembley.
Nevertheless, whoever comes out on top in this battle will be a worthy winner.
