Analysis of two UEFA Champions League 2023/24 finalists

We already know the two teams that will try to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy on the 1st of June. Those two teams are Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Real Madrid

Italian specialist Carlo Ancelotti made one more miracle on Wednesday night, as Real Madrid won on aggregate 4-3 against Bayern, and he will partake in his sixth Champions League final as a coach. Real Madrid already prevailed in the Spanish top-tier football tournament La Liga and will have more than three weeks to prepare for the most vital game of the season.

Ancelotti led a 14-time UCL champion, Real Madrid, to the final game of the Champions League for the third time; ‘Los Blancos’ had triumphed on both previous occasions. Four more coaches who have taken part in at least four Champions League finals are:

• Josep Guardiola (Barcelona and Manchester City)
• Jürgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool)
• Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)
• Marcello Lippi (Juventus)

Below, we reveal the route of Real Madrid in this year’s UEFA Champions League campaign.

• Group Stage – Matchday 1 – Real Madrid 1-0 Union Berlin
• Group Stage – Matchday 2 – Napoli 2-3 Real Madrid 
• Group Stage – Matchday 3 – Braga 1-2 Real Madrid
• Group Stage – Matchday 4 – Real Madrid 3-0 Braga
• Group Stage – Matchday 5 – Real Madrid 4-2 Napoli
• Group Stage – Matchday 6 – Union Berlin 2-3 Real Madrid
• Round of 16 – Leg 1 of 2 – RB Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid
• Round of 16 – Leg 2 of 2 – Real Madrid 1-1 RB Leipzig
• Quarter-final – Leg 1 of 2 – Real Madrid 3-3 Man City
• Quarter-final – Leg 2 of 2 – Man City 1-1 (3-4 on pen) Real Madrid
• Semi-final – Leg 1 of 2 – Bayern 2-2 Real Madrid
• Semi-final – Leg 2 of 2 – Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern
• Final – Borussia Dortmund – Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund

No one expected to see Borussia Dortmund go that far in the toughest European football competition. The UEFA Champions League schedule was not straightforward, but the yellow team accomplished its objective. However, the path to the third final in Dortmund’s history was not straightforward. They almost beat PSV Eindhoven, the new champions of the Dutch top-tier football division Eredivisie. Then, in the quarter-finals, they had to confront another team from Madrid, Atlético.

After defeating two tricky sides in the first two stages of the UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain was the last obstacle to overtake. Their defensive style, powerful set plays, and great sticking to the plan were the main factors that led to success.

It is tough to predict the pinnacle of this year’s UCL final, but Borussia knows what it is like to lift the most prestigious football trophy in the world. In 1997, Dortmund won their only UCL trophy by beating Juventus in the decisive match (3:1). Yet, the narrative was different 11 years ago when, in the final of 2013, the German side lost to another compatriot – Bayern Munich (1:2).

Below, we display the path of Borussia Dortmund in this year’s UEFA Champions League campaign.

• Group Stage – Matchday 1 – PSG 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
• Group Stage – Matchday 2 – Borussia Dortmund 0-0 AC Milan 
• Group Stage – Matchday 3 – Newcastle 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
• Group Stage – Matchday 4 – Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle
• Group Stage – Matchday 5 – AC Milan 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
• Group Stage – Matchday 6 – Borussia Dortmund 1-1 PSG
• Round of 16 – Leg 1 of 2 – PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
• Round of 16 – Leg 2 of 2 – Borussia Dortmund 2-0 PSV Eindhoven
• Quarter-final – Leg 1 of 2 – Atlético Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
• Quarter-final – Leg 2 of 2 – Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atlético Madrid
• Semi-final – Leg 1 of 2 – Borussia Dortmund 1-0 PSG
• Semi-final – Leg 2 of 2 – PSG 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
• Final – Borussia Dortmund – Real Madrid