The biggest game in club football rounds out a dramatic season in European football, as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in the Champions League Final. Jack Tobin has you covered with his full match preview and free betting tips below. Good luck to everyone following and enjoy the game!
2023-24 Champions League Final Preview & Betting Tips
Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid
Wembley Stadium, Sunday 2nd June, 5:00am AEST
Road to the Final
Borussia Dortmund: 3-1 vs PSV (Round of 16), 5-4 vs Atletico Madrid (Quarter Final), 2-0 vs PSG (Semi Final)
Real Madrid: 2-1 vs RB Leipzig (Round of 16), 4-4: 4-3 on penalties vs Manchester City (Quarter Final), 4-3 vs Bayern Munich (Semi Final)
Match Prediction
Real Madrid have reached their sixth Champions League Final in eleven years thanks to a remarkable late flourish, with Joselu scoring in the 88th and 91st minute to secure a 4-3 victory on aggregate.
Borussia Dortmund qualified for their second ever Champions League Final with a gritty 2-0 aggregate victory over PSG. In the second leg PSG had 30 shots on goal to Dortmund’s 7, while Dortmund only had 30% possession, but they found a way to get the job done away from home against their much more fancied opponents.
Real Madrid come into the final on the back of a dominant season in La Liga, winning the title ten points clear of second place Barcelona. For Dortmund, their attention has been squarely on the Champions League after a horror Bundesliga season where they finished 5th - 27 points behind Bayer Leverkusen.
These two sides have gotten to the Final with opposing styles, with Madrid’s attacking firepower and Dortmund’s dour defence. Real Madrid have scored 26 goals this season, the second most of any team in the competition. Borussia Dortmund have conceded only 9 goals from their 12 games, with keeper Gregor Kobel leading the competition with 6 clean sheets.
Given it’s a single winner takes all game rather than the aggregate matches of the knockout stages, this does give Dortmund a greater chance in winning given their playstyle against a far more talented opponent in Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti has two of the top five goal scorers in the Champions League in his side with Rodrygo (5 goals) and Vinicius Junior (5), as well as two of the top three assist leaders in Vinicius Junior (5) and Jude Bellingham (4).
Although Dortmund have been on a remarkable defensive run, it’s not a sustainable method to beat a red-hot Real Madrid outfit. If Madrid score early, Dortmund are going to be under a mountain of pressure and they don’t have the attacking quality to go with a Real Madrid outfit that has dominated Champions League Finals over the last decade.
Real Madrid -1
$2.60 (1.5 Units)
