When the top officials of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund were negotiating Jude Bellingham’s record-breaking transfer at the start of the season, they probably didn’t expect to see each other again on the final day of European football. Given their massive spending and storied history in this competition, reaching the Champions League final is almost expected for Real Madrid. For Dortmund, a team with modest income and less splashy transfers, making it to the final is more of a dream. This contrast only adds to the intrigue of the final matchup. First off, this game will be an emotional one for two Germans: Toni Kroos and Marco Reus. For Toni Kroos, this will be the last club game of his illustrious career, as he plans to retire after the 2024 Euros. Saturday offers him a chance to win his 6th Champions League title, a perfect way to end his club career. For Marco Reus, this match marks the end of his 12-year stay at Dortmund as he becomes a free agent. Having battled injuries throughout his career, he stepped down as club captain at the start of the season. In his final Bundesliga match for the club, two weeks ago, he scored a free-kick and provided an assist in a 4-0 win over Darmstadt at Signal Iduna Park. Reus is the only Dortmund player left from the team that lost to Bayern in the 2013 final at Wembley, and he’ll be hoping for a better outcome at England’s #1 stadium this time around. It’s no surprise that Real Madrid are heavy favourites for this game. Not only are they regulars in the final, but they’ve also had a stellar season. They won LaLiga by a comfortable margin and reached the Champions League final without a single loss—something unprecedented in their storied history in this competition. On the other hand, Dortmund have had a rollercoaster season in the Bundesliga, finishing a disappointing 5th, though it’s enough to secure them a spot in next year’s tournament. The Champions League has been where Dortmund truly shined. They topped the “group of death” featuring Milan, PSG, and Newcastle, then eliminated PSV, Atletico Madrid, and PSG in the knockout stages. Dortmund’s six clean sheets are also the most of any team in this year’s edition of the Champions League, with Real Madrid on three. Dortmund has also opened the scoring in 9 of their last 10 games in this competition, adding to the unpredictability of Saturday’s final. Their journey so far shows they’re no strangers to taking down giants.
**HEAD-TO-HEAD** History isn’t exactly on Dortmund’s side for several reasons. The German team has won only 3 of their 14 Champions League meetings with Real Madrid (D5, L6). Among teams they’ve faced at least 5 times in the competition, they have a lower win percentage only against Manchester City (17%) compared to Real Madrid (21%). With this in mind, we also will lean towards a Real Madrid win and BetKing offers the best odds on that. To the game itself and how they match up tactically, it’s hard to draw much from these two teams’ head-to-head record since their last H2H match was in 2017 and the only player involved in that game who will be in Saturday’s final is Real Madrid’s outgoing captain, Nacho. However, these matchups have always been exciting. They’ve faced off 10 times in the last 12 seasons, and every game featured at least 2 goals. Those 10 games have produced 36 goals, averaging 3.6 goals per game. But we’d like to preach a bit of caution for our online betting community seeing as Saturday’s meeting is a final and [goals have been scarce in UCL finals in recent years](https://m.betking.com/blog/betting-tips/champions-league-final-betting-tips-what-we-learned-from-recent-finals/). The most memorable meeting between these sides, most people would agree, is Dortmund’s famous 4-1 victory in 2013. This was the first leg of the semi-final and Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski scored all 4 goals as Jurgen Klopp’s men convincingly led the tie. Even more special, this came against a Jose Mourinho defense. Robert Lewandowski would even receive a perfect 10/10 score from the prestigious French magazine - L’Équipe. - Real Madrid 3-2 Borussia Dortmund (2017) - Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Real Madrid (2017) - Real Madrid 2-2 Borussia Dortmund (2016) - Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Real Madrid (2016) - Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Real Madrid (2014)
**FORM GUIDE** Borussia Dortmund: - Form: L-W-W-W-L-W Most recent result: Dortmund 4-0 Darmstadt (Bundesliga) Where they finished: 5th in Bundesliga, DFB Pokal Round of 16 **Real Madrid:** - Form: W-W-W-W-D-D Most recent result: Real Madrid 0-0 Real Betis (LaLiga) Where they finished: 1st in LaLiga, Copa del Rey Round of 16 **EUROPEAN CUP FINAL PEDIGREE** **Borussia Dortmund:** - European Cup Final Record: P2 W1 L1 GF4 GA3 - Most Recent Appearance: Dortmund 1-2 Bayern, 2013 **Real Madrid:** - European Cup Final Record: P17 W14 L3 GF43 GA23 - Most Recent Appearance: Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid, 2022
**TEAM NEWS** Borussia Dortmund: Ramy Bensebaini is the only major absentee ahead of this final as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Sébastien Haller too is nursing an ankle injury, but the expectation is that the Ivoirian striker will be fit enough to make the bench. Real Madrid: Real Madrid will be missing David Alaba (knee) and Aurélien Tchouaméni (foot) due to injuries. But the big news is that Thibaut Courtois will start in goal over Andriy Lunin. Courtois tore his ACL at the beginning of the season and was out for 7 months. Lunin did a great job filling in, with 12 clean sheets in 31 games, helping Real Madrid win LaLiga. Since returning, Courtois has kept clean sheets in all 4 of his matches, and the club has decided to start him in the final, putting any sentimental attachment to Lunin aside. **EXPECTED STARTING XIs** **Borussia Dortmund: Kobel / Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen / Sabitzer, Can (c) / Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi / Füllkrug. (4-2-3-1)** **Real Madrid: Courtois / Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho (c), Mendy / Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos / Bellingham / Rodrygo, Vinícius. (4-3-1-2)**
**WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY…** - Only Antwerp (17) have conceded more goals than Madrid’s (15) in this year’s competition. Conversely, Dortmund have conceded just nine, by far the fewest of any team to make it past the quarter-final stage. - Dortmund’s six clean sheets are also the most of any team in this year’s edition of the Champions League, with Madrid on three. -Real Madrid are unbeaten in their 12 matches in the competition this season (W8, D4). This is the first time they have reached a European Cup/Champions League final without losing a match. - Since Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the 1908/81 final, they have gone to 8 Champions League finals, winning them all. - Dortmund has scored first in 9 of their last 10 Champions League games. - Jude Bellingham has scored 23 goals & provided 10 assists in all competitions while Vinicius Jr. has a similar output with 23 goals and 11 assists. - £17.2 million versus £19.3 million: The amount Borussia Dortmund will get if they win the Champions League vs what they’ll earn if Real Madrid win (and Bellingham makes the UCL Team of the Season). Football contract clauses, eh? **Our Betting Tips:**
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