Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

It is the biggest fixture in the European calendar this weekend, as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund face off in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.

Date: 6/1/24

Kick-off time: 12:00 Pacific Time

Venue: Wembley Stadium

Real Madrid will be looking to complete a league and European cup double as attentions shifts solely to this fixture. Los Blancos have a great history in this competition as the Champions League’s most successful team with 14 titles. Carlo Ancelotti’s men come into this having secured the La Liga title a few games ago. They ended their season with two consecutive draws, though rested multiple players in preparation for the final. They made it to this stage by winning their group with maximum points, before eliminating RB Leipzig, Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages.

Dortmund will be hoping to win their second ever Champions League trophy 11 years after they last made the final, which was also played at Wembley. In that game, they were defeated by German rivals Bayern. They finished this Bundesliga season in fifth position, taking the league’s final Champions League spot. However, they will be desperate to add a second title to their list of honours after last winning it in 1997. To get to this stage, they topped their group with 11 points, and then knocked out PSV, Atletico Madrid and PSG.

The Spaniards have been very potent in front of goal throughout the tournament, scoring 26 goals in 12 games. Dortmund have been less threatening, but have still netted 17 times. They have been stronger defensively, letting in just nine, which is less than a goal a game. However, the Madrid attack is the best they have come up against, and there are a number of threats they will have to contain. Only four players have scored more goals than Vinicius Jr in the competition, with his five goals a team high. Overall, he and Jude Bellingham have combined for 43 goals in all competitions. Niclas Fullkrug is the main man in the Dortmund frontline with 15 goals. Donyell Malen has also contributed 14. Toni Kroos and Marco Reus will be playing in their last games for their clubs.

These two sides last met in the group stages in the 17/18 season. Real Madrid came out on top both times, winning 3-2 at home, and 3-1 away. Dortmund beat Real 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-final of 12/13, which confirmed their place in the final.

Borussia Dortmund Team News

Striker Sebastien Haller has missed the last four Bundesliga games and was an unused substitute in both legs of the Champions League semi-final against PSG. However, the club are optimistic that he will be available to play a part this weekend.

Real Madrid Team News

Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will miss the final with a foot injury that has kept him out in recent weeks. David Alaba has been out for most of the season.

Borussia Dortmund Form Guide

In their last five games, Borussia Dortmund have won four and lost one. It has been a strong stretch for Dortmund as they finished fifth in the Bundesliga and booked their place in the Champions League final. This run started with European action in the semi-final against PSG. The first leg took place in Germany and it was a narrow 1-0 win. It was a very even game with both teams attempting a similar number of shots and not much to split them in possession. However, Dortmund took advantage of one of their chances as Niclas Fullkrug netted the winner before half-time. The second leg ended in the same scoreline, also in the favour of Dortmund. At home, PSG were on top, and saw many of their attempts come off the woodwork. They were just unable to find the back of the net, and once again, Dortmund took advantage of their opportunity. This time it was Mats Hummels who scored, as he netted in the 50th minute. The Germans were able to hold on and advance to the final of the competition for the first time since 2013.

Between these two legs was a dominant 5-1 win over Augsburg. They took a 3-0 lead after half an hour with a brace from Youssoufa Moukoko and a strike from Donyell Malen. Ruben Vargas pulled one back, but further goals from Marco Reus and Felix Nmecha sealed the victory. They could not continue this winning momentum as they were defeated 3-0 away at Mainz. All of the goals came before the 25th minute, with Dortmund unable to find a goal despite their superior possession.

They responded well in the final game of the league season with a 4-0 win at home to Darmstadt. Ian Maatsen opened the scoring, before Marco Reus netted in his last home appearance for the club. Julian Brandt and Malen extended the lead late on.

Real Madrid Form Guide

In their last five games, Real Madrid have won three and drawn two. It has been a great stretch for Real Madrid, as they secured the league title and booked their place in the final of the Champions League.

Attention started with European action as they took on Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. After drawing the first leg 2-2, it was all to play for in Madrid. The second leg took place a week later and ended in dramatic fashion late on. Substitute Alphonso Davies broke the deadlock with just over 20 minutes remaining to give the German side an aggregate lead. But with two minutes of normal time left, Joselu equalised. He then scored a winner in stoppage time to send the stadium wild. There was controversy at the end, as Bayern put the ball in the back of the net, but the flag had already gone up for offside and the play was cut short. Replays showed that it may have been onside.

They returned to league action in their first game as champions away at Granada. They were 4-0 winners, with Fran Garcia, Arda Guler and Diaz (x2) on the scoresheet. Another comfortable win followed, with a 5-0 victory. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring early, before a Vinicius Jr brace and strikes from Federico Valverde and Guler completed the rout. They then took a trip to Villarreal and it ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw. The visitors were 4-1 up at half-time thanks to goals from Guler, Joselu and Lucas Vazquez. However, Alexander Sorloth scored four goals on the afternoon to secure an unlikely point. Their most recent game was the final fixture of the La Liga season at home to Real Betis. They drew 0-0 in what was a fairly even game, though neither team could make the breakthrough.

Real Madrid will be the favourites due to their experience and superior quality, but as Dortmund showed in previous rounds, they will not go down without a fight, setting up for a very close game. However, we do expect Real to edge it – Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid will be available to watch on CBS.