Will the ‘most decorated’ Real Madrid lift their 15th UEFA Champions League (UCL) trophy or will Borussia Dortmund, returning to Wembley after an 11-year absence, be crowned European champions for the first time in 27 years?
Dortmund and Real Madrid will meet in the UCL final of the 2023-2024 season at Wembley Stadium in London, England, at 4:00 a.m. ET on February 2. It’s the last game of European soccer this season with a €20 million prize pool.
Ahead of the match, UEFA took a look back at the journeys of both teams. In fact, not many expected Dortmund to make it all the way to the final. “In the eyes of many fans, Dortmund were a real surprise, finishing first in the ‘Group of Death’ and beating PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Finally, they reached Wembley. This performance was in contrast to their shaky start to the league under Edin Dzerzhik.”
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are regulars, having won the big one (the UCL trophy) 14 times. “Real Madrid topped the group with a perfect 18 points, and they did so against tough opposition in RB Leipzig, Manchester City and Bayern Munich,” UEFA said. Their nervousness is in contrast to the ease with which they finished the La Liga title race.”
Of course, Real Madrid hasn’t been without its moments, including a penalty shootout with Manchester City in the quarterfinals, but the Spanish giants have won eight and drawn four of their 12 UCL matches to reach the final unbeaten for the first time in club history. Sure, the ball is round, but that’s what makes Real Madrid’s chances of winning the trophy so compelling.
Even supercomputers have favored Real Madrid. According to soccer statistics publication Opta, a supercomputer simulation gave Real Madrid a 55.6% chance of winning and Dortmund a 21.4% chance of winning.
After the 90th minute, if extra time and penalty kicks are taken into account, Real Madrid has a 67.4% chance of winning and Dortmund has a 32.6% chance of winning. According to the supercomputer’s calculations, Real Madrid has a more than two-to-one advantage.
Real Madrid also has the advantage in the all-time head-to-head. Real Madrid has met Dortmund 14 times in the UCL, winning six, drawing five and losing three. If Real Madrid wins this time around, Dortmund will be shaking their heads at Wembley for the second time since the 2012-2013 season, when they finished runners-up after losing 1-2 to Bayern Munich.
Real Madrid have been particularly strong against German teams in UEFA’s competition. In their last 20 matches, they have won 13, drawn six and lost just once. Dortmund will have to rely on the 먹튀검증 experience of veterans Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, who tasted the pain firsthand 13 years ago.
UEFA has released the expected lineups for both teams. Dortmund will start with Niklas Fulkruk in the center of defense, with Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Jadon Sancho, Emre Can, Marcel Xavier, Ian Matthiessen, Niko Schlueterbeck, Mats Hummels, Julian Lüersson, and Gregor Kovac.
Real Madrid will be led by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who returns from injury, with Hodriguez, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez, and Per Mendy expected to start. This will also be Cross’s retirement game.
“Our clear goal is not to play in the final, but to win the final,” said Dortmund coach Terzic ahead of the final match. We are happy to be here, but we have to win to get the trophy. Real Madrid are strong favorites, but we don’t care,” he said.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, a four-time UCL winner, is not losing his cool: “The team is focused and we have the confidence to show our best. Everything has gone well so far, we have the right approach,” he said, ”We want to be very clear about our tactics. The clearer and happier the players are, the better they will play,” he concluded.