(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Can real madrid secure their 15th UEFA Champions League title? We preview Saturday's final at Wembley Stadium with our Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid prediction and insights.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid Stats:
Real Madrid are the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League final, with the Opta supercomputer predicting a 55.4% chance of victory in 90 minutes over Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund have only won three of their 14 encounters with Madrid in this competition (D5 L6).
If they avoid defeat here, Los Blancos will have gone unbeaten across a European Cup/Champions League season for the first time in their history.
Match Preview
Real Madrid aim to extend their unparalleled record in the UEFA Champions League as they face Borussia Dortmund in Saturday's final.
Carlo Ancelotti's squad, boasting 14 European titles, stands unmatched in the competition's history. Opposing them at Wembley Stadium is Dortmund, appearing in their third Champions League final.
The Bundesliga side claimed their sole Champions League title in 1996-97, defeating Juventus 3-1. They reached the final again in 2012-13 but lost to Bayern Munich at Wembley.
This year, Real Madrid edged past Bayern Munich with a 4-3 aggregate win, thanks to Joselu's late brace securing a 2-1 victory in the second leg. A contentious offside call nullified Matthijs de Ligt's potential equalizer, allowing Madrid to advance.
Real Madrid have dominated their matches this season, trailing for only 7.5% of their total game time in the Champions League. They've staged four comeback victories, a feat matched only by Barcelona (1999-2000) and Real Madrid themselves (2016-17).
In contrast, Dortmund's journey to the final saw their opponents hit the woodwork 12 times, including six in their semi-final against PSG. Edin Terzić's team reached the final after a 2-0 aggregate win over PSG, with Mats Hummels' decisive header at Parc des Princes.
Hummels, who has played every minute of Dortmund's campaign, could become the first outfield player to do so in a winning season since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017-18. The last defender to achieve this was Sami Hyypiä with Liverpool in 2004-05.
Dortmund will need to contain Vinícius Júnior, who has five goals and four assists in the Champions League this season. Over the past three campaigns, Vinícius has been involved in more goals (31) than any other player, with 17 contributions in knockout stages.
Dortmund will be without Sébastien Haller, Ramy Bensebaïni, and Julien Duranville. Niclas Füllkrug is expected to lead the attack, supported by Jadon Sancho, Karim Adeyemi, and Julian Brandt.
Ancelotti faces a selection dilemma between Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin in goal, with David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni sidelined. Toni Kroos is set to play his final club match, while 20-year-old Jude Bellingham will aim to secure his first Champions League title against his former club.
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head record
This will be the 15th meeting between these sides in the Champions League. Madrid have faced Dortmund 14 times, more than any other opponent except Bayern (22) and Juventus (16). Dortmund have only won three of these encounters (D5 L6), with their lowest win percentage against any team they've faced at least five times.
Despite winning their last two league matches, Madrid's focus on the final is evident. They could become the second Spanish side to win the Champions League unbeaten in a single campaign, after Barcelona in 2005-06.
Dortmund, finishing fifth in the Bundesliga, are the second-lowest ranked German side to reach a Champions League final, after Bayern Munich in 1974-75.
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