The biggest club game in the footballing calendar is almost upon us! The UEFA Champions League Final between 14-time winners Real Madrid and German side Borussia Dortmund will take place at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1st, with kick-off set for 20:00. Who will come out on top in this huge game?
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid Preview
In what is set to be the season’s biggest game for both sides, The UCL Final is a game like no other! Real Madrid come into this game off the back of a La Liga-winning campaign in which star player Jude Bellingham has been a revelation. Dortmund, on the other hand, have secured a fifth-placed finish in this year’s Bundesliga campaign. Both these sides have had giant killings this year on the way to the final, but who will come out on top?
Borussia Dortmund’s Road To London
Dortmund had a tough start to this year’s UEFA Champions League campaign, being put in the so-called “group of death” alongside Newcastle, AC Milan, and PSG. Miraculously, Dortmund topped this group, winning home and away against Newcastle, beating AC Milan in the San Siro, and drawing 1-1 with PSG to secure knockout football.
From there, PSV were dispatched relatively easily, winning 3-1 on aggregate. The quarter-finals saw Dortmund knock out Athletico Madrid in a shock result. After a 2-1 defeat in the Metropolitano, Dortmund won the second leg 4-2 to progress to the semi-finals, where they, once again, met PSG.
The French Champions are who stood in the way of Dortmund and their first European final since Jurgen Klopp took them to the Champions League Final at Wembley in 2013. Borussia Dortmund pulled off another miraculous set of victories over PSG, winning both legs 1-0 to progress to the final!
Real Madrid’s Road To London
Real Madrid won all six of their group stage games in this year’s UCL, with wins home and away over Union Berlin, Italian Champions Napoli, and Braga. After this seemingly easy group for the Madristas, they faced off against RB Leipzig. Madrid went on to win the first leg 1-0 before getting a 1-1 draw in the second leg to progress. In the quarters, Madrid went head-to-head against none other than last season’s treble winners, Manchester City! The first leg saw a 3-3 thriller play out at the Bernabeu before a 1-1 stalemate at the Etihad. Penalties were the deciding factor between the two teams and saw Madrid progress once more. In the semis, Madrid had to deal with the German Champions, Bayern Munich. A thrilling semi-final saw Real Madrid progress to the final of the UEFA Champions League for the 18th time.
UEFA Champions League Final Predictions
Real Madrid is currently the favourite to secure their 15th European Cup title and their first since 2022 when they beat Liverpool 1-0 in Paris. Dortmund, on the other hand, have not contested a UCL Final since the 2013 edition of the final, where they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich, also at Wembley and remain second favourites in this year’s edition.
