Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund LIVE: Champions League final ...

The latter’s pace is sure to keep Real right-back Dani Carvajal on his toes, but the bigger threat on the night could come from Sancho, who has plenty to prove on the Wembley stage after being loaned out by Manchester United.

Sancho appears back to his best and France left-back Ferland Mendy may have to think twice about bombing high up the other end of the pitch.

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior scored his side’s winner in the 2022 final against Liverpool and his 31 Champions League goal contributions (goals and assists) over the last three seasons is more than any other player.

But Norway right-back Ryerson has been an outstanding one-on-one defender this season and impressively came out on top when asked to snuff out Kylian Mbappe’s threat in both legs of Dortmund’s semi-final win against Paris St Germain.

Bellingham, who will face his former club, was voted LaLiga’s player of the season earlier this week after a stellar first year in the Spanish capital.

He could be the difference between the two sides unless kept in check by Dortmund’s deep-lying former Liverpool midfielder Can.

The German international cannot match Bellingham’s dynamism, but can head off the gaps in the final third, which the marauding Englishman thrives in.

Fans have been gathering in different areas of London ahead of kick off, here are some photos from around the capital:

Real will bid to become European champions for a record-extending 15th time, while Dortmund, whose solitary Champions League win came in 1997, will be appearing in their third final.

Now we take a look at the key battles that could prove decisive on the night...

Edin Terzic’s side impressively beat Paris St Germain 2-0 on aggregate to reach the final earlier this month, but sandwiched between those ties were heavy Bundesliga defeats to Mainz and RB Leipzig.

Reus, who has scored four times in seven matches against Madrid, said: “You know what awaits you.

“Their players are used to these moments; they must be less nervous, but this doesn’t decide whether you win the game or not, because it will be decided on the pitch.

“They have strong players in every position, they play very calm football, they press very high, they run a lot, but it all depends on the momentum. We will analyse them really well.

“We will need to be in top form on the day; in a final, you need that bit of luck as well and, of course, you need to convert your chances.

“But it’s a one-off game and anything is possible – we must believe, we will believe, and we will have tremendous support behind us for this final.”

Marco Reus is excited about the prospect of a fairytale finish to his Borussia Dortmund career and has told his team-mates to believe anything is possible in Saturday’s Champions League final with Real Madrid.

It was announced earlier this month that Reus would depart Dortmund this summer after 428 appearances and 12 years at the club.

Reus, 34, spent five of those seasons as captain and initially progressed through the Dortmund academy before he first made his mark at Borussia Monchengladbach.

A move to Signal Iduna Park followed in 2012 and he will close his memorable chapter with Dortmund with a second Champions League final appearance after he was involved in their loss to domestic rivals Bayern Munich in 2013, which was also played at Wembley.

“I would say there is nothing better than playing your last game in a Champions League final and winning it,” Reus told uefa.com.

“Starting with a Champions League final at Wembley in 2013 and finishing with one in 2024 for your last game, there are worse ways to end a Dortmund career.

“The last final at Wembley was 11 years ago and it’s a different opposition, different players as well, so it’s not about revenge, it’s just about the anticipation.

“Now the objective is to win the trophy because we cannot imagine how things could be the very next day here. It’s just about the next 90 minutes, possibly 120 minutes, which will decide.”

With bigger clubs starting to fish in the same player pool, Dortmund have been forced to adapt their transfer strategy and it has taken them to the brink of an unlikely Champions League title, writes Miguel Delaney:

In other words, vintage Dortmund signings. Except, this time, the pitch that was successfully made to Jude Bellingham in 2020 didn’t work. Dortmund’s offer of more elite game-time to younger players is no longer so attractive. The evolution of both the transfer market and football tactics has meant that clubs like Manchester City and – yes – Real Madrid specifically aim for that profile of player. The omnipresence of pressing has ensured that even middle-of-the-table clubs need more of their younger talent to do the running.

In short, Dortmund have lost their unique selling point. The world around them has changed. This is now forcing Dortmund to change, in a move that many around the club feel has been too long coming.

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Borussia Dortmund have signed a new sponsorship deal with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and will display the defence company’s logo ahead of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Dortmund said on Wednesday the three-year deal with Rheinmetall includes “wide-reaching advertising space, marketing rights and event and hospitality arrangements in the stadium and on the club grounds” starting from this week’s buildup for the Champions League final on Saturday.

Rheinmetall is building a new plant in northern Germany to produce around 200,000 artillery shells per year as part of European efforts to increase weapons production against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Security and defence are fundamental cornerstones of our democracy. That is why we believe it is the right decision to take a very close look at how we protect these cornerstones,” Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement. “Especially today, when we see every day how freedom must be defended in Europe. We should deal with this new normality.”

Ancelotti downplayed the suggestion that his side, looking to extend their record eight Champions League final wins, will be the favourites on Saturday.

He has also largely resisted the temptation to grill information out of England international Jude Bellingham, who joined the LaLiga champions from BVB last summer.

Ancelotti explained: “No, no. Of course he’s a former Dortmund player, but there’s no need to ask too much about his ex club because there’s a lot of information out there. We’ve seen all their games. We’ve studied our opponents well.”