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Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been handed his first start of the 2023-24 Champions League campaign as Real Madrid released their lineup over two-and-half hours before Saturday’s final against Borussia Dortmund.
Courtois replaces Andriy Lunin, who’s been dealing with an illness ahead of the London showpiece. Courtois didn’t feature for Real Madrid this season until May due to a knee ligament injury. The Belgian shot-stopper finishes this term with four La Liga appearances and an outing in the Champions League final.
Aurelien Tchouameni is a surprise inclusion on Carlo Ancelotti’s bench after he was initially ruled out of the match.
Toni Kroos is starting for his final appearance in club football. His final act in the professional game will be with the Germany squad on home soil at Euro 2024.
For Dortmund, fan favorite Marco Reus is on the bench ahead of his exit this summer. Sebastien Haller, who missed time earlier this month with an ankle issue, is also among the substitutes. Edin Terzic’s starting lineup is unchanged from the semifinal second-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
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This season’s Champions League final, a meeting between European kings Real Madrid and underdogs Borussia Dortmund, is finally here. Get ready for Saturday’s match with theScore’s comprehensive preview package.
The lowdown ?
Who: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund What: 69th European Cup final When: Saturday, June 1 at 3 p.m. ET Where: Wembley Stadium (London, England) Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia) VAR: Nejc Kajtazovic (Slovenia)
Real Madrid: -170 Draw: +300 Borussia Dortmund: +450
Key questions ?
Bellingham’s big moment?
Jude Bellingham has thrust himself into the Ballon d’Or conversation after a sensational debut season with Real Madrid. The English midfielder scored 24 goals in 132 games with Borussia Dortmund, but he has exploded since making his big transfer and inheriting the famous No. 5 shirt once worn by Zinedine Zidane, finding the net 23 times in just 40 appearances for Los Blancos. His tactical versatility and attacking instincts from midfield are essential to Real Madrid’s play, providing another scoring threat for a team that often lines up, at least to start matches, without a recognized striker.
The stars couldn’t possibly align any better for him to deliver a crowning performance. Against his former club, playing in his home country’s most famous stadium, one more standout display – or, better yet, another decisive goal – would cap a truly incredible season for the 20-year-old. Can Bellingham’s former coach and teammates conjure up a plan to limit his influence?
Who will excel on the counterattack?
James Gill – Danehouse / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund can be devastating in transition. The German side relies heavily on wingers Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi to take advantage when the opposing full-backs get too far forward, something Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal will need to keep in mind when trying to join the attack. The blistering Adeyemi, in particular, will have an enormous pace advantage over wily veteran Carvajal, who’ll surely use all his nous to try and slow down the young German.
Madrid, meanwhile, are arguably the best team in the world at exploiting open space on the break, with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Bellingham able to flip the field and use their collective combination of speed and ruthless precision to craft scoring chances. Something has to give, though. Both teams can’t eschew possession in the hopes of racing out on the counter. Someone has to take the initiative. The ebbs and flows of the match should be fascinating.
Perfect send-off … but for whom?
One of Toni Kroos or Marco Reus is going to walk off into the sunset after the final whistle blows at Wembley. Kroos, who’s made 464 appearances for Real Madrid, is retiring after Euro 2024. Saturday’s contest will be his final match at club level after a decorated career. Reus, described by Edin Terzic as a “living legend,” is leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer after 12 years and over 400 first-team appearances for his boyhood team. He intends to continue playing, but both sides agreed his expiring contract wouldn’t be renewed.
Their career paths have diverged – the masterful Kroos is still the focal point of Madrid’s midfield, while Reus is now a late-game option off the bench for Dortmund – but there’s a storybook ending to be had for one of these German icons. “My ambition was always to finish my career at the peak of my performance level,” Kroos said upon making a retirement announcement that shocked so many. There is no greater peak than this in the club game.
Further reading ?
Dive into some of the storylines surrounding the contest:
Injury updates ?
The latest on the lingering lineup questions:
Player
Club
Injury
Status
Aurelien Tchouameni
Real Madrid
Foot
Out
Andriy Lunin
Real Madrid
Illness
Available
Julien Duranville
Borussia Dortmund
Muscle
Out
Sebastien Haller
Borussia Dortmund
Ankle
Available
Projected lineups ?
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
Quarterfinals: Beat Manchester City (4-3 on penalties)
Semifinals: Beat Bayern Munich (4-3 on aggregate)
Borussia Dortmund
Group stage: First place in Group F
Round of 16: Beat PSV Eindhoven (3-1 on aggregate)
Quarterfinals: Beat Atletico Madrid (5-4 on aggregate)
Semifinals: Beat PSG (2-0 on aggregate)
By the numbers ?
Raw statistics for the two finalists:
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
8-4-0
Record
7-3-2
26
Goals Scored
17
15
Goals Against
9
Joselu and Vinicius (5)
Top Scorer
Fullkrug (3)
Advanced metrics:
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
24
Expected Goals (xG)
15.1
15.4
xG Against
22.4
+8.6
xG Difference
-7.3
+0.72
xG Difference per 90
-0.61
Tournament pedigree ?
Best European Cup finish for both clubs:
Real Madrid: Champions (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022)
Real Madrid have reached the European Cup final 17 times heading into Saturday’s match, emerging victorious on 14 occasions. Their most recent appearance, in 2022, ended in a 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Borussia Dortmund: Champions (1997)
Dortmund have a much more modest record, having reached this stage twice before. Their last appearance, in 2013 under Jurgen Klopp, ended in a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in a game that also took place at Wembley.
Fun facts ?
Michael Regan – UEFA / UEFA / Getty
0: This is the first time Real Madrid have reached a European Cup or Champions League final without losing a single match along the way in the competition. Overall, Madrid have lost just one game in 2024, a Copa del Rey defeat against rivals Atletico.
6: A Real Madrid victory would see Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal join club legend Paco Gento as the only players to feature in six European Cup final wins. Toni Kroos could also win the sixth title of his career, like his two teammates, but he missed the 2013 final with Bayern Munich due to injury.
8: Real Madrid have won each of their last eight Champions League finals. They haven’t lost a UEFA knockout final since 1983 when they fell to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
11: Borussia Dortmund’s last Champions League final was 11 years ago when they lost to German rivals Bayern. Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, who each played 90 minutes in that contest, get a shot at redemption Saturday.
27: If Dortmund emerge victorious, their 27-year gap between European Cup triumphs would be the fourth-longest in tournament history. The most agonizing wait belonged to Inter Milan, who went 45 years between hoisting the trophy in 1965 and 2010.
43: Real Madrid and Dortmund have met 14 times in European competition, combining for 43 goals; the high-scoring affairs have produced an average of 3.07 goals per game. The Champions League final has delivered cagey matches in recent years, with the last four editions finishing 1-0. Can these two sides reverse that trend?
What they’re saying ?
Ancelotti: “(Borussia Dortmund) deserve to be in the final … They are a very solid and close-knit team with great players. Their defensive display against Paris surprised me. We’re really happy to play in yet another final. The nerves will come, but we aim to let them come as late as possible. We have to seize this moment, this huge match, the most beautiful match of the year, and also the most beautiful to experience.”
Terzic: “It’s the biggest title you can win in club football. We’ve only managed it once in the club’s history, which also just shows how special this chance is for us. It’s not getting easier for us to be successful, and that’s why I think it would be a very special story to win. If you do it together, stick together, all think in the same direction, stay positive, show resilience and a lot of bravery, then you, too, can celebrate in the end.”
Prediction ?
Real Madrid 2, Borussia Dortmund 1
There’s something romantic about the prospect of Terzic, a lifelong Dortmund fan, leading his favorite club to Champions League glory as a coach. But sentimentality isn’t enough to pick against Real Madrid. Not in this competition. Not on this stage. This is “their” tournament, after all. Until someone discovers the antidote to ward off Real Madrid’s Champions League magic, we won’t believe it can actually be done.
Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterMay 23, 2024, 06:29 PM ET
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Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — An up-and-down day for the Chicago Bears’ offense during the third practice of OTAs ended with an encouraging message for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Nine-year safety Kevin Byard, who joined the Bears in free agency, approached Williams at the end of Thursday’s session with feedback after a stretch of inconsistency during the red zone period.
“I said something to him at the end of practice like, ‘Keep it going. We’re going to keep making you better,'” Byard said. “And not necessarily saying he had a terrible day, but days like this are going to make you better.”
The Bears’ defense, which has operated the same system since 2022, got the better end of an offense that is learning a new scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
“We had a good day,” Byard said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie about that. But to be honest, it’s to be expected. You have a returning top-15, top-10 defense, obviously going against a younger rookie quarterback who’s getting acclimated and learning things. That’s what it is supposed to look like.”
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Barcelona playmaker Alexia Putellas said winning the quadruple was a “dream come true” after the Catalan giants beat Lyon 2-0 in the women’s Champions League final on Saturday.
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Putellas struck the second to ensure Barcelona won the trophy for the third time after Aitana Bonmati put them ahead in Bilbao.
“Winning the Spanish Super Cup in January, the months keep passing, the Copa de la Reina, Liga F, all won,” Putellas told TVE.
“We wanted to win it all and reach the grand final, the Champions League, with all three trophies and the chance to win a fourth.
“Obviously it’s a dream come true, what we have achieved.”
Barcelona had never beaten Lyon before in four encounters and lost to the French giants, eight-time record winners, in the 2019 and 2022 finals.
“We have a lot of respect for Lyon,” said Putellas.
“Our objective was to win four trophies out of four. After the Champions League win last season, we said we wanted to be here in Bilbao because we knew what it would mean. We can’t ask for anything else.
“We have achieved everything we wanted. Every minute of sacrifice has been worth the effort — and I’d say that not after the game, but before, just entering in the stadium it was worth it.”
Putellas has largely featured as a substitute since her return from a knee injury last year but penned a new deal with Barcelona earlier this week until 2026.
“My objective was always to stay at Barcelona,” she continued.
“This week it is official and I could not have more hunger or excitement to start this new deal, to keep winning, competing and giving everything for this club.”
