Dortmund’s most prominent weapons against Real Madrid in the Champions League final | sports

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5/31/2024–|Last updated: 5/31/202408:51 PM (Mecca time)

There is no doubt that Borussia Dortmund is the weakest party in the Champions League final facing the Spanish giant Real Madrid, winner of the tournament title 14 times, but the German team’s amazing journey at the European level this season is completely different from its domestic journey, which witnessed an inconsistent performance.

The final match will be held tomorrow, Saturday, June 1, at ten o’clock in the evening, Mecca time, at Wembley Stadium in England.

Coach Edin Terzic’s team, seeking to win the Champions League title for the second time after being crowned in 1997, ended its season in the German First Division with a disappointing fifth place.

However, Dortmund presented a more stable level in the European Championship, despite having 10% less possession of the ball in the Champions League than in the German League.

Dortmund kept a clean sheet in 6 of the 12 matches it played in the Champions League this season thanks to its strong defense and quick counterattacks.

These six matches included two home and away matches in the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, which the German team won 2-0 overall.

Solid defense and fast attack

Terzic plays in the European Championship with a formation consisting of 5 defenders at times, which gives him a strong back line that represents the basis of his playing style.

Defenders Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck have performed at an amazing level in the last few months. Schlotterbeck was named in Germany’s squad for the 2024 European Championship.

Defense will be a key factor, in addition to the quick counterattacks carried out by the wingers, Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi, with the aim of trying to put pressure on Real Madrid’s defence.

The speed of these two players on the wings will be important in Dortmund’s counterattacks, knowing that the majority of possession will be in favor of Real Madrid, and the German team will wait to seize opportunities through counterattacks.

Terzic hopes that Adeyemi and Sancho can create space for midfielder Niklas Volkrug, Dortmund’s best striker in the tournament this season with 3 goals.

However, Volkrug’s role is not limited to scoring goals, as the powerful German striker often drags opponents with him, allowing his teammates space to have some opportunities.

It is therefore no surprise that 12 different Dortmund players have scored at least one goal in the Champions League this season.

Terzic said, “Do not treat the confrontation as an occasion, but rather as a match. My goal is not to try new things or give excessive instructions, but to benefit from the experiences we have gained this season and determine which of them is appropriate for this match.”

He added, “As for the lineup, we still have some training periods to see who will prove his presence. But we know that our substitutions can have an impact.”

Among those who are likely to be on the bench but expected to participate in the match is veteran player Marco Reus, who will leave the club.

Terzic said, “It will not be good enough to rely only on the starting lineup to do the job, but rather you have to rely on the overall quality of the entire team.”

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