The UEFA Champions League final returns to Wembley Stadium in London this weekend when one-time winners Borussia Dortmund take on 14-time champions Real Madrid.
Dortmund are surprise contenders to be here after a mediocre season, while Madrid are the biggest and most successful club in European history and will look to cement themselves with a sixth title in 11 seasons.
We'll take a look at the fixture and break down both teams' chances of success, while providing you with our best free soccer picks to try and earn you some extra cash.
| Champions League Final 2024 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Dortmund | +425 | +400 | +400 |
| Real Madrid | -155 | -155 | -155 |
| Draw (90mins) | +322 | +310 | +310 |
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Champions League Final information
- Saturday, June 1st 2024
- Wembley Stadium, London, England
- 15:00 ET kick-off
- 90 minutes
- If tied after 90 minutes, teams play extra 30 mins
- Still tied after extra-time, teams play penalty shootout
Borussia Dortmund route to the final
The Bundesliga side entered the competition at the group stages and were one of the teams in the group of death alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United and AC Milan, but they shocked everyone by coming out on top of that group.
Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat in their opening game to PSG and then being held to a 0-0 draw at home against Milan, the German outfit strung together three wins in a row including 1-0 away at Newcastle and 3-1 away in Milan before securing a 1-1 draw with PSG to go through as group winners.
In the first knockout round they were matched up with the flying Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven where they claimed a 3-1 aggregate win as loanee Jadon Sancho and club legend Marco Reus scored in a 2-0 home win in the second leg.
The quarter-final clash with Atletico Madrid saw them suffer a 2-1 defeat on the road in the first leg, but they fired back with a stunning 4-2 home win to progress to the semi-final where they were once again paired up with PSG and claimed a 1-0 win both home and away to claim their spot in the final.
Real Madrid route to the final
The Kings of Spain and Europe entered at the group stage alongside Serie A champions Napoli, German outfit Union Berlin and Portuguese minnows Braga as they cruised to top spot with six wins from six games.
The opening game at home needed a 94th minute winner from Jude Bellingham, before a 3-2 win over Napoli in Naples and a 2-1 win over Braga in Portugal saw Bellingham net once again. They followed those up with dominant home wins over the same teams before a final day win over Berlin helped them to their 100% record.
That saw them paired up with German side RB Leipzig in the first knockout round and a 1-0 win on the road thanks to Brahim Diaz was ultimately the difference as the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the second leg at the Bernabeu.
That set up a quarter-final clash with holders Manchester City where a sensational first leg ended 3-3 in Madrid despite them falling behind twice, before a late comeback in Manchester saw the game end 1-1 and go to penalties where Antonio Rudiger scored the winning penalty.
In the semi-finals they took on another German giant in Bayern Munich and after a 2-2 draw on the road thanks to Vinicius Jr, it was another late comeback as veteran striker Joselu scored twice in the final minutes to earn their spot in the final.
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Soccer picks: Jude Bellingham to score anytime
Champions League finals are usually a game where a star is born, and it is written in the stars for England's Bellingham to be the man in 2024.
After joining Madrid in a $107.4million from Dortmund last summer, the 20-year-old has scored 23 goals and registered 10 assists in his first season in Spain and become a key part of their team.
His physical attributes have allowed him to dominate games, but coach Carlo Ancelotti has added a killer instinct to his game and with his relationship with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo blossoming this is a fixture that will suit him.
The midfielder essentially plays as a forward when Los Blancos have the ball, so expect the ball to fall to him in the box at some point during the 90 minutes and he should do the rest from that point onwards to put the ball in the net.
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Soccer picks: Real Madrid to win 2-0
While Ancelotti's team are often entertaining to watch, they're also incredibly efficient and risk-averse when it comes to winning championships.
The Italian will put defense first with his approach and will expect for the quality of his players with the likes of Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde to dominate and create opportunities.
Dortmund rely a lot on transitions for their goals and with Madrid likely to keep things tight at the back, they will struggle to create clear-cut-chances.
Madrid have been here and done it all before, and much of this squad has won the title previously in their career. Back them to do it again in relatively routine fashion with a 2-0 victory at +750.
