A POR LA 15 – Daily Thread: 27 May 2024

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One More Effort!!!

One week to go.

An initial look at Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund have been the surprise package of this season’s competition, coming through what many thought was the group of death (PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle), before seeing off PSV, Atlético de Madrid and Paris to reach the Wembley final. This happens to be the same location of their last appearance in a UCL final where they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in 2013. Dortmund’s efforts in the Champions League are in contrast to their inconsistent league campaign in which Edin Terzić’s men eventually finished fifth.

Clearly the underdog in this final, Dortmund could actually try and use this to their advantage. While frequently encountering difficulties when facing clubs that adopted a defensive approach in the Bundesliga, they consistently excelled at capitalizing on the opportunities provided by more attacking opponents in the Champions League. When Borussia Dortmund launches rapid attacks, it becomes challenging for any club worldwide to halt them. After keeping two clean sheets in the semi-finals against a star-studded PSG side, nobody could now rule them out of lifting the trophy in London.

Edin Terzić is expecting a near full squad to choose from, with English duo Jadon Sancho and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens shaking off illness and injury concerns to appear in a 4-0 win against Darmstadt on the Bundesliga’s final matchday. Donyell Malen scored his second goal in three games in that, having not seen any action in the Champions League quarter-finals or semi-finals due to injury. Mats Hummels will be relishing the chance to keep out Real Madrid’s attacking might alongside Nico Schlotterbeck. After bidding an emotional farewell to the Dortmund fans against Darmstadt, the iconic Marco Reus has the chance to draw the curtain on his time at the club in the best possible style by claiming their second Champions League crown.

Predicted Lineup: Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Can, Sabitzer; Adeyemi, Brandt, Sancho; Füllkrug.

A Dortmund Legend is leaving as well.

12 years at BVB comes to an end.