FOOTBALL: Champions League final preview
Emmanuel Alfred
So it’s tonight and it’s going to be between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid has won it an incredible 15 times while Dortmund has won it only twice
This is Dortmund’s first final since 2013 and Madrid are a regular here
Tactical approach
It will be difficult to tell as Madrid has shown incredible abilities to adjust to opponents as shown in the games against Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
While Dortmund on the other have a knack to sticking to their guns no matter the opponent
Goal threats
It can be the usual suspects but this is the champions League and an unlikely goal scorer can never be over ruled as indicated in the game between Madrid and Bayern
Side attractions
It is a game that holds a lot of bad blood for fans that really shouldn’t have a say in it but football is a universal game and every game is our game
Barcelona fans will not want Madrid to win to add an extra daylight between both “giants”.
Some people will want Dortmund to win in order to drag Manchester United coach Eric Ten Haag for “treating Sancho badly”.
Conspiracy theories
Real Madrid are guilty of benefiting from “soft call” from the referees according to the Concerned Fans Association of Football and will hope that will not be the case tonight
We will be watching with keen interest
The coaches
No coach has had more champions League successes than Carlo Ancelotti, from winning it thrice as a player to winning it 4 times. He has coached the very best of the game and also played with the very best
This will be another feather on his already decorated cap if he wins
Erdin Tezic
The 41 year old was a German professional who made his footballing bones in the lower tier of German football but is building a reputation for himself as a tactician
It will be a juicy one to see
Will Madrid give Toni Kroos a memorable send off or will Dortmund make history?
It’s tantalizingly poised for an explosive encounter
On a personal note, if Madrid wins this, it will be the most difficult of all titles they have won as they have dealt with so much injuries this season
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