May 31 – Real Madrid are sky-high favourites to claim a record 15th European Cup when the Spanish giants take on surprise package Borussia Dortmund in the final of the Champions League at Wembley on Saturday.
Few had expected Dortmund to reach the final but they eliminated Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain en route to the showpiece match, returning to the Champions League final for the first time since 2013. Back then, Dortmund lost against eternal rivals Bayern Munich and once again they will be the underdogs.
Their coach Edin Terzic (pictured) had just one title to his name – the German Cup.
“The cold sweat and fear will arrive on Saturday afternoon. This is quite normal, it is always like that in this kind of match,” said Terzic. “(But) I have experience. My team gives me a lot of confidence… because I see them focused on the match. They are in Champions League mode.”
His Madrid counterpart Carlo Ancelotti is a statesman of the managerial profession to whom winning Europe’s most important club competition almost comes naturally. Fourteen-time winners, Madrid last won the Champions League in 2022 when they defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the final, Vinicius Junior scoring the winner.
The Brazilian will once again be crucial for Madrid, who played the season without an established number nine.
Midfielder Toni Kroos will feature in his very last game for the Spanish club, hoping to win a sixth Champions League. Luka Modric has also hinted his time at Madrid might soon come to an end. The match will also see a match-up between England international Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.
At the other end, Dortmund will also say farewell to a German legend as Marco Reus will retire. The playmaker has been with his hometown club for 12 years. Dortmund have a modest squad compared to their opponents, but Terzic believes his team can upset Madrid.
“I am firmly convinced that anything is possible in a single match,” said Terzic. “And if anyone has shown that you can achieve a lot in one match, it is us, especially this season, especially in this competition. I think Madrid have been in the Champions League final eight times and they’ve never lost. But the important thing is not what happened in the last eight finals, but what happens in the next one. And we are responsible for that.”
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