Learn with us about the channels broadcasting the Real Madrid and Dortmund match in the 2024 Champions League final and how to watch it online.
European football fans around the world are anticipating the awaited match at Wembley Stadium between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the final of the current Champions League edition.
Borussia Dortmund meet Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 1 June.
UEFA.com previews the most prestigious match in European club football as the two clubs battle for the ultimate prize.
What do you need to know?
Dortmund have been the surprise package of this season's competition in the eyes of many, coming through arguably the toughest group before seeing off PSV, Atlético de Madrid and Paris to reach the Wembley final. Those performances belied an inconsistent league campaign in which Edin Terzić's men eventually finished fifth.
Also group winners – with a maximum 18-point haul no less – Madrid came through stern tests in all their knockout ties to reach the final, teetering on the brink against Leipzig, Manchester City and Bayern before reaching their 18th final in this competition. Their nail-biting progression was quite a contrast to their league form, with Carlo Ancelotti's men easing to another La Liga title.
Madrid are unbeaten in their 12 matches in the competition this season (W8 D4) but, remarkably, this is the first time they have reached a European Cup/Champions League final without losing a match. Dortmund have lost only one of their last 11 European outings (W7 D3) though, keeping clean sheets in six of those games and scoring the first goal in nine of their last ten matches.
BVB's last Champions League final also took place at Wembley Stadium, where they lost 2-1 to Bayern in 2013, with Mats Hummels and Marco Reus still playing pivotal roles for the club 11 years later. That experience will be vital against a Madrid side who are no strangers to the biggest game in European club football, and who have lost only one of their last 20 UEFA competition matches against German teams (W13 D6).
I see Borussia Dortmund as the underdogs against Real Madrid, but that gives them a good chance of springing a surprise. While Dortmund often had problems with teams sitting deep in the Bundesliga, they were usually able to perfectly exploit the spaces offered by more offensive opponents in the Champions League. When BVB attack at pace it is difficult for any team in the world to stop them – and Madrid are unlikely to want to limit themselves to defending in the final.
Anyone drawing on the teams' respective Champions League history and automatically assuming the Spanish side are shoo-ins to win will be thinking very differently to Real Madrid. Their six matches against Bundesliga rivals this season produced four single-goal wins, two draws, and hugely testing experiences each time. Tactically, athletically and mentally they expect this to be identical. Madrid have not lost a UEFA knockout final since 1983 against Aberdeen in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Talented? Yes. But such a remarkable will to win. The extra kicker is that Luka Modrić and Dani Carvajal could join Madrid legend Paco Gento as the only players to win the European Cup six times.
Borussia Dortmund: The German side return to the final for the first time since 2013 -- also hosted at Wembley -- after an unspectacular domestic campaign, but emerged as somewhat of a giant slayer during their European season. Dortmund topped arguably the toughest group in this season's Champions League, losing 2-0 on opening day to Paris Saint-Germain but going undefeated for the next five and beating AC Milan and Newcastle United along the way.
Edin Terzic's side then made easy work of their 3-1 aggregate win over PSV in the round of 16, and then truly developed a reputation for determination as the tournament progressed. They lost 2-1 at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the quarterfinals, conceding twice from defensive errors, but took advantage of their unsteady opponents at home and came out of the tie with a 5-4 aggregate win. They switched to a defensively sound tactic for the semifinal against PSG, shutting out the high-profile attack led by Kylian Mbappe and registering a 2-0 aggregate win to reach the final.
Marcel Sabitzer has arguably been the team's standout going forward in their run to Wembley with five assists this season, more than any other player in the competition. Julian Brandt, meanwhile, ranks within the top five for chances created with 24 and Niclas Fullkrug is 11th in the Champions League for expected goals with 3.83 and leads the team with three goals in the competition this season.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel has been lights out in goal, especially with his performances against PSG.
Real Madrid: If Dortmund are the giant slayers, then Real Madrid are the titular giants of this season's competition. Despite any apparent weaknesses, Carlo Ancelotti's side have come out on top on every occasion and enter the final after an unbeaten season in Europe and just one loss en route to their La Liga triumph. There's a sense of inevitability that will arrive with them in London, considering how the talent on hand has bailed them out time and time again.
They topped a group with Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin with relative ease but were wasteful up top at times and lacked precision in the back on other occasions. They still managed to outscore the opposition 16 to seven in the group stage, but the margins of victory grew tighter as the tournament progressed. They only registered a 2-1 aggregate win over RB Leipzig in the round of 16, ousted reigning champions Manchester City on penalties after a 4-4 aggregate scoreline in the quarterfinals, and then toppled Bayern Munich 4-3 in the semifinals.
Their ability to outscore the opponent time and time again came courtesy of a wide range of players, chief among them Jude Bellingham. He started his breakout season on a high with four goals in the group stage but several other teammates stepped up to the plate, including Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Joselu, each of whom have five goals in the Champions League this season. The final will also serve as a send off to Toni Kroos, who will retire after the Euros as one of his generation's best midfielders. The 34-year-old's game has not dipped much despite being in the final stages of his career, who has averaged a 95.1% passing accuracy in Europe this season.
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