Pundits Joe Cole and Peter Crouch have shared their predictions for the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. The two sides will face off at Wembley on Saturday, June 1.
Dortmund are hoping to win only their second Champions League trophy, having won previously in 1997. Los Blancos, meanwhile, are looking to extend their record by adding a 15th trophy to their cabinet. They last won in the 2021-22 season.
Ahead of the big final in London, TNT Sports panelists shared their predictions. Joe Cole backed Dortmund to win 2-1 while Peter Crouch predicted a Real Madrid win with a scoreline of 2-1. Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist also backed Los Blancos to win 2-0.
The last time the two sides faced off was in the group stages of the 2017-18 Champions League. Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at Signal Iduna Park before beating them 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu. They went on to win the entire competition, making it an unprecedented three consecutive wins.
In their 14 previous meetings in the Champions League, Dortmund have beaten the Spanish giants just three times. Five games have ended in a draw while Los Blancos have won six times.
Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid’s road to Champions League final
Real Madrid didn’t lose a single game en route to the final. They topped their group with six wins in six games against Napoli, FC Braga, and Union Berlin. They then beat RB Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16, winning the first leg 1-0 away and drawing 1-1 at home.
They got past defending champions Manchester City in the quarter-finals on penalties after the aggregate score remained 4-4. They drew 3-3 at home in the first leg and 1-1 in the second leg before winning 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
Los Blancos beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals. They drew 2-2 away in the first leg before dramatically beating them 2-1 at home, with two late goals from Joselu.
Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, also topped their group with three wins, two draws, and one defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, and AC Milan. They then beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16, drawing 1-1 away in the first leg and winning 2-0 at home in the second.
They beat Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, losing 2-1 away in the first leg and winning 4-2 in the second leg at home. They then got past PSG in the semi-finals, winning 2-0 on aggregate with a 1-0 win in each leg.
