Real Madrid have the opportunity to take home a record 15th Champions League trophy when they face Borussia Dortmund in this season’s final on Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti has already led Los Blancos to glory in La Liga and can claim a fifth European crown of his own at Wembley this weekend.
A spirited underdog in Dortmund stand between them and the pinnacle of club football, but there are plenty of reasons why Madrid should feel confident in their chances.
Here are just four reasons why Madrid will win this season’s Champions League.
Very few Champions League finals have presented such an imbalance of quality.
Whereas Madrid finished top of La Liga, Dortmund could only come fifth in the Bundesliga, behind Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. If it weren’t for Germany gaining an extra place via this season’s coefficient battle, BVB would not have been assured of a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Dortmund teams of yesteryear – even the less successful ones – brought with them a bit more star power and identity. Edin Terzic’s troops aren’t short in either department, but they don’t have the ability to go toe-to-toe with this all-conquering Madrid side. They’ll need the performance of their lives to win at Wembley.
The Galacticos era is back in full swing at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Florentino Perez and co have successfully built a team to challenge for top honours for the rest of the decade and beyond.
Leading Los Blancos’ charge are Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, the latter of whom was named La Liga’s Player of the Season earlier this week.
Together, they have recorded a combined 46 goals and 23 assists this season. With this year’s Ballon d’Or very much up for grabs, it’s increasingly likely it will be handed to one of them.
When’s the best time to criticise your manager’s tactics and club’s paradoxical philosophy? Why, days before the Champions League final, of course!
Dortmund legend Mats Hummels didn’t hold back in an interview with BILD this week, aiming a sly dig at Terzic for some of the team’s performances this year.
“I was furious because I felt that Borussia Dortmund should never perform like that – against any opponent in the world. I felt it couldn’t go on like this. I felt humiliated to stand on the pitch in this jersey, so submissive, so…
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