Dortmund vs Real Madrid

Continental supremacy is on the line at Wembley Stadium this Saturday evening, where underdogs Borussia Dortmund will face seasoned Champions League veterans Real Madrid in a final of titanic proportions. For the Bundesliga powerhouses, donning black and yellow, victory would end 27 years of heartache and secure their second Champions League title. Meanwhile, Los Blancos strive to etch their name onto the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the 15th time.

Match Preview

Borussia Dortmund's Journey

Borussia Dortmund is set to exorcise their former Champions League demons under the Wembley arch. It's been 11 years since they watched helplessly as Arjen Robben's scuffed shot trickled over the line, granting Bayern Munich the victory in a 2012-13 Der Klassiker final in London.

Departing club icon Marco Reus and rejuvenated centre-back Mats Hummels may be the only surviving members from that silver medal-winning team. None of Terzic's first-time finalists will need a sermon on the significance of June 1. Triumphing in the tantalizing Group of Death with AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund showed signs of their potential early on.

They sent PSV Eindhoven packing without breaking a sweat before a minor blip in the first leg of their quarter-final versus Atletico Madrid. Despite suffering their sole defeat of the tournament at the Wanda Metropolitano, Dortmund's bid for European glory remained unscathed. A phenomenal second-leg turnaround preceded a pair of exceptional 1-0 successes over perpetual bridesmaids PSG, who were shut out at both the Signal Iduna Park and Parc des Princes in early May.

Thanks to their defensive discipline and the wastefulness of the Ligue 1 champions, BVB condemned PSG to another year of Champions League torture. The old-but-gold Hummels nodded in the solitary second-leg strike, booking Dortmund a date with Champions League destiny for just the third time in their history.

One-time European Cup champions back in the 1996-97 term, Dortmund has not been present in the showpiece event since falling to Bayern's supremacy in London over a decade ago. Real's semi-final exploits mean that a shot at Bavarian revenge did not materialize.

Despite Bayern losing their grip on the Bundesliga title, Terzic's men and the rest of the division were powerless to quell the Bayer Leverkusen juggernaut. Despite demolishing SV Darmstadt 98 4-0 in their closing contest, Dortmund could only labor to a fifth-place finish.

However, thanks to Germany's superior UEFA coefficient over all other nations barring Italy, BVB will dine at Europe's top table next year regardless of the result of Saturday's final. They enter this final seeking four straight Champions League victories at any stage for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Dortmund's overall trophy drought has not been as agonizingly long as their 27-year wait for Champions League title number two—they prevailed in the 2020-21 DFB-Pokal—but a Champions League winners' medal would shine much brighter around the neck of Signal Iduna Park's favorite son, Reus, before he clears out his locker.

Real Madrid's Pursuit of Glory

As is customary throughout his record-breaking Champions League career, there will be no room for sentiment for Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. Already in a class of his own with four European Cup triumphs as a head coach, he now seeks to steer further clear of the chasing pack.

Fourteen-time winners Real Madrid will bid farewell to a revered German servant of their own on Saturday, as midfield maestro Toni Kroos plays his final competitive club match before a Euro 2024 swansong. The 34-year-old has already tasted Champions League final stardom over Dortmund from his Bayern heyday.

Kroos and his fellow fundamental Real performers did not drop a single point in the Champions League group stage versus Portuguese outfit Braga, deposed Italian champions Napoli, and Bundesliga upstarts Union Berlin. The manner of their 2-1 aggregate triumph over last-16 foes RB Leipzig left something to be desired.

However, in quintessential Blancos fashion, Ancelotti's men astonishingly found a way to prevail against defending champions Manchester City. Exacting revenge on their 2022-23 semi-final conquerors from 12 yards, they advanced, and Newcastle United fans up and down the land rubbed their eyes and pinched themselves in bewilderment.

After shaking hands on a 2-2 first-leg stalemate, a rocket from Alphonso Davies appeared to have extinguished Real's dreams of crown number 15. However, Espanyol loanee Joselu wrote his name into Bernabeu folklore with a dazzling double to punch their ticket to Wembley.

Thanks to the astounding individual efforts of the erstwhile Magpie, Real Madrid's iconic logo will appear on the front cover of the Champions League final program for the 18th time on Saturday. Only three of Los Blancos' previous 17 appearances in the trophy match have ended in heartbreak.

In fact, it has been a staggering 43 years since the Spanish behemoths came out second best in the showpiece. Since that crushing loss versus Liverpool in 1981, Real Madrid has triumphed in each of the last eight Champions League finals in which they have been present.

Extending that phenomenal sequence would seal a terrific treble of trophies for the reigning La Liga and Supercopa de Espana champions. They may have concluded the regular top-flight campaign by dropping four points against Villarreal and Real Betis, but little sleep should be lost over those two stalemates.

Unbeaten in 25 straight matches since January's Copa del Rey beating at the hands of Atletico, Ancelotti's men have also found the net in every single one of their fixtures away from their Bernabeu base in the 2023-24 season. This is another promising omen ahead of Saturday's European extravaganza.

The Final Showdown

With both teams reaching the final through incredible displays of skill and determination, the stage is set for an unforgettable showdown. Borussia Dortmund, eager to end their long wait for another European title, will face a Real Madrid side seasoned in the art of winning at this level.

As Wembley prepares to host this clash of titans, fans around the world will be eagerly anticipating a match that promises to be filled with drama, passion, and high-quality football. Will Dortmund defy the odds and lift the trophy, or will Real Madrid continue their dominance on the continental stage? All eyes will be on the Wembley arch this Saturday to find out.