England star Jude Bellingham will face compatriot Jadon Sancho when Real Madrid take on Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Champions League final at Wembley.
Real are seeking to become European champions for an unprecedented 15th time, while Dortmund’s sole triumph in the tournament came in 1997.
Here, we pick out some of the major talking points.
Big night for Bellingham
Real midfielder Bellingham is poised for arguably the biggest occasion of his club career – against his former side and at the home of English football.
The 20-year-old has shone in Spain this term following an £88.5million transfer from Dortmund last summer.
LaLiga’s player of the season contributed 19 goals and six assists to help Real win the title by 10 points.
He has also registered four Champions League goals and will be expected to deliver once again as he bids to sign off a stellar season in style ahead of representing his country at Euro 2024.
Sancho out to prove a point
While Bellingham is on the rise, Sancho’s career has stalled since he swapped Dortmund for Manchester United in 2021.
Sancho returns to Wembley, where he missed one of England’s penalties in their Euro 2020 final shoot-out defeat to Italy, with plenty to prove.
The 24-year-old forward has been capped just once by Gareth Southgate since but is back playing regularly following his January loan switch from Old Trafford.
Sancho will be eager to steal Bellingham’s limelight and could celebrate success alongside another Englishman as 19-year-old former Reading and Manchester City academy player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is also among Dortmund’s ranks.
Real dominance
Real manager Carlo Ancelotti and many of his players are in familiar territory.
The formidable Spanish giants have lifted the Champions League trophy in five of the last 10 seasons, including twice under Ancelotti – a six-time winner as a player and coach.
In contrast, Dortmund have not even won their domestic title during that period.
The German club, who are coached by Edin Terzic and finished fifth in the Bundesliga this term, upset red-hot favourites Juventus to clinch European football’s top prize 27 years ago, when Scotland’s Paul Lambert was in their midfield.
Dortmund once again begin as firm underdogs against opposition with far greater continental pedigree.
Auf wiedersehen to German pair
Toni Kroos will bid farewell to Real Madrid after 10 years with the club.
The Germany midfielder, who will retire following this summer’s European Championship in his homeland, has already won the Champions League four times with Real, as well as once with Bayern Munich.
It also promises to be an emotional occasion for Kroos’ former international team-mate Marco Reus.
The 34-year-old attacking midfielder, who was part of the Dortmund team beaten by Bayern in the all-German 2013 final at Wembley, is set for his final appearance before ending his 12-season stay with the club.
Goalkeeping dilemma
The key conundrum facing Ancelotti is, unquestionably, in goal.
First-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has missed most of the season due to two serious knee injuries.
The 32-year-old returned this month to keep four consecutive LaLiga clean sheets but was this week left out of Belgium’s Euro 2024 squad, casting fresh doubt over his physical condition.
Ancelotti rates Courtois as the world’s best but he has not made a Champions League appearance since last season’s 4-0 semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
Understudy Andriy Lunin has been an unsung hero this campaign and will be hoping to retain the starting role.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
