And then there were two.
Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final at London’s Wembley Stadium pits La Liga giants Real Madrid versus Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in an intriguing matchup between two teams with distinct playing styles. It’s also the first final between a Spanish and German club since Real Madrid beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in 2002 in Glasgow.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s final.
The format
Saturday’s game is a straight knockout final. If the score is tied after 90 minutes of regulation, it will go to extra time and penalty kicks (if necessary) to determine the winner.
Setting the stage for Saturday
Real Madrid clinched its record-extending 36th La Liga title — and third in five years — earlier this month with four games to spare, finishing 10 points above bitter rivals FC Barcelona. Los Blancos only lost once during the entire Spanish league season and earned 95 out of a possible 114 points.
Borussia Dortmund closed out its Bundesliga campaign with just two wins in its final five games to finish fifth in the table, a distant 27 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen. It was the worst domestic campaign from Die Schwarzgelben since they finished seventh in 2014-15.
How they arrived at the final
Real Madrid cruised through the opening round with a perfect 6-0-0 record to finish first in its group ahead of Napoli. German side RB Leipzig was pushed aside in the round of 16 before defending champions Manchester City was dispatched via a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. The Spaniards were once again pushed to the limits in the semifinals as a 2-2 draw away to Bayern Munich set the stage for a tense second leg. The Germans took the lead through Canadian Alphonso Davies in the 68th minute and it looked like Real would be eliminated. But Spanish forward Joselu came off the bench to score in the 88th and 91st minute to lift Los Blancos to a dramatic victory.
Borussia Dortmund booked its passage into the knockout round by impressively topping a group that included Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United, winning three of six games with just one loss. Dutch club PSV Eindhoven were put to the sword in the round of 16 and that was followed by a fabulous comeback effort against Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals that saw Dortmund win the series after losing the first leg in Spain. A pair of 1-0 victories against PSG in the semifinals secured their berth in Saturday’s final.
Champions League history: Real vs. Dortmund
Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have met 14 times in European club competition. The Spanish side has won six of those games with only three losses. The teams last squared off during the group stage of the 2017-18 Champions League when Real won both matches.
Real Madrid is the most successful team in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, having won the tournament 14 times in 17 appearances in the final. If they beat Dortmund on Saturday, it’ll mean they will have won more than twice as many championships as the next best team — AC Milan has won it seven times.
Borussia Dortmund’s lone Champions League title came in 1996-97 when it upset Juventus in the final. They lost to fellow German club Bayern Munich in the 2012-13 final, which was also held at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The key battle: Vinícius Júnior vs. Julian Ryerson
Brazilian winger Vinícius Júnior is one of the most lethal attackers in world soccer and has been a crucial player for Real Madrid in its run to Saturday’s final.
He should prove to be a handful for Borussia Dortmund’s defenders, especially given how he doesn’t stay in one spot. The Brazilian usually lines up as a forward in Real’s front two, but is given license to roam, thus giving teammates Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo the chance to operate through the middle of the pitch.
Should Vinícius Júnior drift out to his left, he’ll be facing right fullback Julian Ryerson. The Norwegian international was positively brilliant in the semifinals, closing down and neutralizing Kylian Mbappé, one of the world’s top goal scorers, across both legs.
One last hurrah for Kroos and Reus
German international Toni Kros, regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, previously announced his plans to retire following this summer’s Euro 2024. That means Saturday’s final will be his last ever match for Real Madrid, with whom he’s won four La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues since joining the club in 2014.
Fellow midfielder Marco Reus will be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season, calling time on an incredible 12-year spell with the club. Reus is the team’s second-highest goal scorer of all time and won the Bundesliga player of the season award on three occasions. Reus isn’t retiring, but Saturday’s match will be his last for Dortmund.
Players to watch
With so many talented attacking players on Real Madrid’s roster, it’s hard to pick out just one, but the nod has to go to Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian winger has five goals and five assists in nine appearances in this season’s Champions League, including a brace against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the semifinals. He is one of the most dynamic and explosive attackers in world soccer, noted for his blinding speed and ability to unbalance opposing defenders with his probing runs. The 23-year-old also has valuable “big game” experience — he scored the crucial goal for Real in its 1-0 win over Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final.
Borussia Dortmund boasts one of the tightest defensive units in this season’s Champions League. The Germans posted four shutouts and conceded just four goals in the group stage and followed that up by posting three clean sheets in the knockout round. At the heart of Dortmund’s stingy defence is veteran centre back Mats Hummels, who has played every minute of all 12 of Dortmund’s Champions League matches. Hummels, 35, was sensational in both legs of the semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain, leading his team to a pair of 1-0 victories and scoring the winner in the second leg.
Burning questions
Will Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti go with Belgian Thibaut Courtois, widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, after he recently returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for the majority of this season? Or will he stick with backup Andriy Lunin, who was brilliant throughout the knockout stage?
After shutting out Kylian Mbappé and Paris Saint-Germain in both legs of the semifinals, can Dortmund make it three clean sheets in a row by blanking Real Madrid on Saturday?
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.