UCL 2K24 Showdown ? Final Assembly at Wembley for Glory !

24 men in a little more than 24 hours later will be fighting for the biggest prize in European Football before the old CL becomes the new CL

The day which fans across the world wait for every season is almost upon us all. This seasons UEFA Champions League is about to come to a conclusion at Wembley in a classic David vs Goliath scenario where the winning machine of Madrid takes on the dogged and determined Dortmund who are for many the clear underdogs. But if you have managed to reach a final, you clearly cannot be underestimated and Don Carlo knows that all to well while on the other end Edin knows that it is pretty important to not let his players either get overawed by the occasion nor let them be bogged down by the super team assembled by Madrid as on any given day in such a high stakes cup final , you never know which way the balance eventually tilts towards.

The Last Dance

Toni Kroos and Marco Reus are going to wave goodbye to their respective clubs come the whistle is blown at the end of the 90+ or most likely 120+ minutes of the game which they have called home for the past so many years. While they might be playing against each other on the pitch , it is also the end of an Era for the German national side with the Kroos also bowing out after the EUROS while Reus had called it quits sometime back. And both the teams would like to give their Legends a legendary final send off which will definitely  make sure that sparks would fly right from the first whistle as nobody would want to end up on the losing side for themselves but more than that for them.

David vs Goliath

The scales before the match are heavily tilted in favor of Madrid. On paper, the team of Madrid is assembled with superstars both of today as well as future ones with a healthy mix of youth and experience giving them a more balanced outlook. While Dortmund on the other has a relatively lukewarm side in comparison but they are still more than enough for even the best on their day and have greatly punched above their weight. The Goliath is tipped to win by many but the supporters of Dortmund and neutrals alike would hope for the trend to end and stop the reign of Don Carlo in UCL this time around.

Hocus Focus

On a night as big as this nothing goes unnoticed but their are some players on whom the focus is always a little bit extra. Or there might be some players that you think can be clutch for your team if it goes down to the wire. For Madrid the obvious call is the homecoming of former Dortmund Golden Child Jude Bellingham for whom it would be a mixed bag of emotions but he would be looking to get the job done as professional as possible and if things get stuck, he would hope to stuck one into the back of the net to get them over the line. While for Dortmund it would be interesting to see if Sancho is still a big game player and is able to cut through the defense of Madrid and prove that he truly is back once and for all. His homecoming to Dortmund was a success. Honourable mentions include Arda Guler, Mats Hummels.

The Dugout Shout 

While Carlo Ancelotti would most likely be deploying a  classic 4-4-2 formation on paper Edin would be going with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Haller/Fullkrug up front being their star players. While Real seems to have strength in depth with Camavinga, Modric and Eder Militao being available to call upon along with experienced workhorses like Vazquez, Ceballos, Joselu. Dortmund seem to be a little thin on paper with Reus, Moukoko, and Malen being some of the players on the bench but are almost one dimensional in a way that these star players are either wide players or pure attackers. It could affect the flexibility in decision making where taking decisions while being calm and collected can make all the difference.  

Final Words

Whatever the result might be, the game is going to be an interesting one with two attacking managers who like to give freedom to their players means that it is likely that a high scoring final could be on the cards. A lot of cards if tensions do erupt and the atmosphere gets heated up. Still, the only real winner is football and football lovers at the end of the day and this being the last final within the old format is also the end of an era for the competition itself but for now all eyes would on Wembley. 

Cover Credits - UEFA.com