A Battle of Europe’s Best: Breaking down the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final

Out of the 32 best teams in Europe, only two remain in what has been a thrilling UEFA Champions League. In one corner, an indomitable Real Madrid will be chasing an astonishing 15th European Cup to add to their illustrious trophy cabinet. On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund will be giving their all to upset the balance and become European champions for the second time to cap off a 12-year tenure for club legend and attacking midfielder Marco Reus. Though this year’s UCL Final is comprised of two teams of differing quality, soccer fans can still expect an exciting final between them under the prestigious floodlights of Wembley Stadium on June 1. So, without further ado, it’s time to analyze what’s in store behind the best game in club soccer.

Real Madrid 

In the last decade, Real Madrid have consistently exceeded their expectations, winning a total of 14 Champions League titles, with five coming from the last 10 years. With a never-ending rotation of star players, it appears as if this season will be no different for the Champions League sovereign. After countless hard-fought matches, Real Madrid were able to embark on a glorious run through this edition of the tournament and land themselves in the last battle for the title of European champion.

Going into the group stage, Real Madrid were the clear favorites. Group C consisted of Real Madrid, Napoli, Braga, and 1. Union Berlin. Nonetheless, Madrid showcased their dominance, winning all six of their group stage games and finishing the group stage eight points ahead of second-place Napoli. This perfect record in the group stage was matched only by Manchester City, the defending champions. In the round of 16, however, Real Madrid’s dominance wasn’t so clear. RB Leipzig were not a team to be underestimated, and Madrid required two hard-fought games to scrape by with a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Following Real Madrid’s barely acceptable performance against Leipzig, many critics thought that defending champions Manchester City would be too great of a team to handle for the Los Blancos in the quarterfinals. Yet Madrid shunned the critics, giving Manchester City a run for their money in a hard-fought 3-3 tie in the first leg. In the second leg, Madrid were able to hold City to a 1-1 draw, and fans of both sides held their breath as the decision came down to a penalty shootout. Unprecedentedly, City crumbled under the pressure, and Madrid were one step closer to achieving their UCL dreams. 

In a similar fashion to the quarter-finals, the first leg of the semi-finals between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich ended in a 2-2 tie. However, in the second leg, following continuous attacks from Bayern, Madrid’s defensive line broke, and Bayern’s left-back Alphonso Davies scored a goal to put them in the lead. When manager Carlo Ancelotti made a late substitution to bring on Joselu, even Madrid’s fans began to question his decision. However, a miracle would unravel right before their eyes as Joselu changed the entire course of the game in a mere 20 minutes, securing Madrid a one-way ticket to the Champions League final.

As the clear favorite in the matchup, Real Madrid will be approaching this final with the most confidence and momentum. The Spanish giants have only suffered defeat twice in this entire season and are coming off of winning the La Liga for the 36th time. The team is lined with players of world-class quality both in defense and attack, with the likes of center-back Antonio Rudiger, attacking midfielder and Kopa Award winner Jude Bellingham, and winger Vinicius Junior. Most importantly, the team possesses the experience in winning these high-stakes games; the squad has remained relatively unchanged since their last UCL triumph in 2022 and is still led by Ancelotti, a manager who has won a record four Champions League titles. It will be a Herculean task to beat this star-studded juggernaut in their own game, but stranger things have happened in the beautiful game.

Borussia Dortmund

Compared to Real Madrid, Dortmund can be considered heavy underdogs. The German club has only won one Champions League when they defeated Juventus 3-1 in the 1997 final. However, even compared to that legendary team in the 90s, the current roster is significantly inferior, as Dortmund only managed to finish fifth in the German Bundesliga. That said, Dortmund are not pushovers, and despite their inconsistent domestic form, they have been nothing short of impressive on the European stage.

To start with, Dortmund was drawn into a group with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Italian heavyweights AC Milan, and an upstart Newcastle United that had just come off of finishing fourth in a very competitive 2022-23 English Premier League season. Despite being immersed in the tournament’s “group of death,” the Germans came out as the best team out of the four after amassing 11 points and only losing one game in the entire group stage. 

Dortmund were then rewarded for their efforts with a faceoff against PSV Eindhoven in the Round of 16, whom they easily defeated 3-1 on aggregate. The next obstacle was Atletico Madrid, and many thought Dortmund would finally give way and lose at the hands of the more experienced Spanish side. Again, Dortmund struggled away from home as they were defeated 2-1 at Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium. However, the Germans were resilient and rallied behind the roar of their fans in a dramatic second leg, where midfielder Marcel Sabitzer scored the winning goal to make it an aggregate score of 5-4 in Dortmund’s favor. 

In the semifinals, Dortmund were matched with PSG, a team which the Germans were able to keep a clean sheet across the two legs against the French attack led by superstar striker Kylian Mbappe. Then, against the run of play, Dortmund would get two vital goals from striker Niclas Fullkrug and center-back Mats Hummels to stamp their place in Wembley. 

Though inferior on paper, Dortmund still have enough firepower to cause an upset, and if the team can play to their strengths correctly, they have a great chance to become the first team to defeat Real Madrid in a Champions League final in 43 years. These traits were evident in their semifinal games, where manager Edin Terzic’s pragmatic and counter-attacking tactics worked wonders to defeat a much stronger PSG team. Dortmund will likely reuse this approach at Wembley: a defensive line marshaled by center-back Hummels and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel will try to keep Madrid’s electric forwards at bay while trying to find a breakthrough goal from a set piece or a counter-attack.

Aside from the gap in quality, Dortmund will also be hindered by their inexperience at this stage of the tournament, as the club has not played in a UCL final in 11 years. However, the team will certainly be motivated by their newfound desire to end off what has been a spectacular season in Europe for club legend Reus, who will be playing his last game for Dortmund in the final. One of the only players in the team to have experienced the 2-1 defeat in the 2013 UCL final, Reus will be aiming to relieve the major trophy drought that has been staining a loyal 11-year career at Dortmund, where he played over 400 games and contributed to more than 300 goals in all competitions.

As anticipation builds for the finals, fans can only pray for their respective teams to win. The Champions League final will be a showdown between the two greatest European teams of today: Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. Real Madrid have a chance to add another UCL title to their already glistening trophy cabinet, further cementing their legacy as one of the greatest European teams to have ever played. At the same time, Borussia Dortmund will have a chance to make a fairytale story come true, potentially giving Reus a well-deserved sendoff. Will Real Madrid win once again and add to their glory? Or perhaps Reus will end his Dortmund career with an unprecedented win at the Wembley Stadium? Only time will tell.