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.}

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.”

Though he is now 40 years removed from his first European Cup final appearance with Roma in 1984, the 64-year-old feels little has changed when it comes to his personal experience of the build-up.

He said: “The days leading up to the final are always the same. Plenty of excitement, because it’s the biggest game of the season for everyone involved. We’re happy to be a part of this final, and there are goosebumps, like my first time.

“Three as a player, sixth final as a manager. Happy to be here, the worries will come later on, and maybe that fear, but until then I’m going to enjoy the moment.

“Saturday afternoon, that’s when the fear arrives. Of course I’ve got experience, being here before. I look at my team and they ooze confidence. I can see them totally focused on this final. It gives you peace of mind.”

Spanish police have seized 11 metric tonnes of fake soccer jerseys to be sold in Spain in the run-up to Saturday’s Champions League final in London between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and the Euro 2024 in Germany next month.

A search of 15 heavy lorries had produced the haul of jerseys along with other fake products such as luxury watches, leather goods and electronics, with an estimated market value of more than six million euros ($6.50 million), according to a statement on Friday.

The investigation started in April, when two tonnes of counterfeit shirts of Spanish football clubs sent from China were seized.

Police found out that a large shipment was bound for Spain before the Champions League final and the Euro finals, and set up a sting operation involving more than 20 agents.

They seized more than 36,500 fake sports kits of several Spanish and European soccer clubs emblazoned with names of top footballers such as Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, France’s Kylian Mbappe, and a number of Spanish stars.

The counterfeits were intended for several organisations based in Spain that were planning to distribute them through street commerce and online. Reuters.

Mark Hughes is likely to have been rubbing his eyes in disbelief as he watched Joselu score two late goals to down Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

Welshman Hughes was the Stoke boss who signed the forward in the summer of 2015 but Joselu managed just four goals before being shipped out on loan – eventually returning to England for a similarly unimpactful two-year stay at Newcastle.

However, having moved to the Bernabeu on loan from Espanyol this season, the 34-year-old wrote his name into Real folklore with his match-winning brace and now he will be hoping for a chance to repeat the feat at Wembley.