Real Madrid, the biggest winner of the Champions League With 14 titles, they appear as big favorites in the final of the continental tournament against Borussia Dortmund, who arrive as underdogs after leaving other strong candidates in their path.
On paper, everything suggests that the Whites, Spanish champions this season, have an advantage in the decisive game this Saturday (1st), at Wembley, but Dortmund are coming from eliminating Kylian Mbappé’s Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final.
If there’s one thing Real Madrid are good at, it’s big European nights and, above all, finals.
The team’s last defeat in the main European tournament was in 1981, against Liverpool, in Paris. Afterwards, there were eight decisions and eight victories (1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022).
But despite the weight of history, Real Madrid prefer not to have the pressure of feeling like favorites.
“We face a team that eliminated greats like Atlético [de Madrid] and PSG. We will suffer and fight like in every final”, said coach Carlo Ancelotti, European champion twice as a player and four times as a coach.
Farewell to Kroos
The main setback for Real Madrid on the way to the final was the injury to Frenchman Aurélien Tchouameni, who traveled with the delegation to London, but will be unable to play due to a problem with his left foot.
Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin stayed in Madrid due to a cold and will join the group in the British capital on Saturday due to the risk of contagion before the match.
But one player stands out from the rest because the Champions League final will be his last game in club football: Toni Kroos, who says goodbye to Real Madrid.
The experienced midfielder, who will retire after playing in the European Championship for Germany, can lift the ‘Ear’ for the sixth time, as can his teammates Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernández. With that, they would equal the record of the mythical Paco Gento.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
