The UEFA Champions League final is finally here! I'm Jonathan Johnson, ahead of perhaps the biggest football match on the calendar, with Real Madrid taking on plucky underdog Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday. If that's not enough for you, Emma Hayes will also make her USWNT debut in Colorado with a friendly against South Korea to kick off the June camp.
📺 Foot correction
Always US/East
Saturday June 1
🇪🇺 UCL Final: Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid, 3pm ➡️ Biggest+
🤝 Friendlies: USWNT vs. South Korea WNT, 5pm ➡️ TNT
🇺🇸 MLS: Inter Miami vs. St. Louis City SC, 7:30 PM ➡️ MLS Season Pass
Sunday June 2
🇮🇹 Serie A: Atalanta vs. Fiorentina, 12:00 ➡️ Biggest+
🇺🇸 USL: Monterey Bay FC vs. New Mexico United, 7:00 PM ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
⚽ The forward line
🏆 Real Madrid wins 15th UCL title in London
Getty Images
Real Madrid already has fourteen all-time titles in the UEFA Champions League and has the chance to extend that record to fifteen against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti's men are almost exclusive owners when it comes to football's most coveted silverware and the Italian tactician himself could win his fifth personal UCL title as head coach and third with Los Blancos following his victories in 2014 and 2022.
Against unexpected finalists BVB, Real are the heavy favorites to succeed and celebrate another continental crown before the expected announcement of the arrival of French superstar Kylian Mbappé on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer. Jude Bellingham is lining up against his former club and the England international will be hoping to make a difference in London ahead of UEFA Euro 2024, where he could star for the Three Lions as one of the pre-tournament favorites to win win, together with Mbappé's. France.
Toni Kroos is preparing for an emotional final match, not only with Real but also at club football level. His involvement with Germany on home soil this summer will end with him retiring from the game after a glittering career – regardless of Saturday's outcome. Vini Jr. had also been here before and was already a game winner in a Champions League final when the Spanish giants surrounded Liverpool in Paris which was not a classic encounter for Real's record 14th win.
- Cattry: “Real Madrid's last win in the Champions League was perhaps the most boring of them all, considering they only shot three times and scored in their only goal attempt. That said, Thibaut Courtois impressed at the Stade de France by scoring nine making saves as Liverpool scored 23 shots, earning Man of the Match honors It was also a remarkable night for Vinicius Junior, who scored the only goal of the match to win his first Champions League title. .
Sponsored by Paramount+
Sponsored by Pararmount+
🔗 Link play in midfield
👀 BVB hopes to upset the odds
Getty Images
Real's opponents won't be in London on Saturday to make up the numbers, however, as Borussia Dortmund have thrown away a number of big names so far this edition, including Mbappe's PSG in the semi-finals. Although BVB finished fifth in the Bundesliga compared to Real's last victory in La Liga, many people forget that the Germans have already won this competition once in 1997 and have a proud history to honor in the Champions League, which Edin Terzic and his players made their will do their very best to persevere.
One of Dortmund's star players in this incredible run to the final has been goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The Swiss international will look to build on his sensational performance against PSG over two legs, which somehow resulted in two clean sheets. The 26-year-old leads all goalkeepers with 42 saves and six clean sheets, as well as an impressive 7.09 goals prevented rate in UCL play – something Real's 2022 hero Thibaut Courtois would be proud of.
CBS Sports Golazo Network caught up with Kobel ahead of this weekend's mega-clash and was optimistic about BVB's chances of pulling off another upset.
- Kobel: “It seems like we feel comfortable in that situation [as underdogs] but I don't think it really matters to us as a team whether we are considered the underdog or not. We have built a lot of confidence during this Champions League campaign. We have beaten a lot of good teams and showed that we can beat any opponent in front of us and we will go into Saturday's match with this confidence.”
If Dortmund beat Real here it would certainly be one of the shock final results of all time, but it will take more than just Kobel excelling. Experienced defender Mats Hummels has also been crucial in one of the best runs of his career despite being overlooked by hosts Germany for UEFA Euro 2024, while unconventional striker Niclas Fullkrug has scored a number of important goals this season , including in the first leg against PSG before Hummels closed out the match. job at Parc des Princes and he will have to cause trouble for Real's Antonio Rudiger, who will be an international teammate on home soil alongside the retiring Kroos this summer.
🔗 Top UCL stories
💫 Real's top 10 Galacticos ranking: David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jude Bellingham, Luis Figo and Sergio Ramos all provided.
🤩 UCL superlatives: Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Manchester United experience mixed fortunes in the 2023-24 edition.
😱 Ranking of the most unlikely UCL winners: Could Chelsea and Liverpool be too? Joined this weekend by Dortmund?
🤔 Could USMNT star Gio Reyna get a UCL medal if Dortmund beat Real? The loanee from Nottingham Forest has been with BVB this season.
🫰 The value of Santiago Bernabeu for Real: How the Spanish giants get maximum value from their stadium to remain elitist.
🔮 UCL final expert choice: Dortmund versus Real through the eyes of our experts prior to Saturday's game.
���� Wembley's UCL history: London is not a new destination for the Champions League final ahead of Real vs. Dortmund.
🎵 Lenny Kravitz: The pregame entertainment prior to Real vs. Dortmund in the UCL final promises to be top.
ℹ️ UCL latest essentials: We have you covered TV details, etiquette, the referee, prize money, streaming, timings and more.
📺 Get started with Golazo Network
💰The Back Line
💵 Best guess
- UCL final: Dortmund vs. Real, Saturday, 3 p.m
- 💰 THE CHOICE: Bellingham scores, Real wins and both teams score in 90 (+500) — While Dortmund's defense has been rock solid, Real's attack is impressive and promises to give the Germans a torrid time here. BVB have found ways to score against opponents, but have relied most on their backline to advance. Atletico Madrid showed in the quarter-finals that Dortmund can still be on fire, but Real are on a completely different level. Jude Bellingham scores against his old club, Real has no winners, but Edin Terzic's team gets a consolation goal against Carlo Ancelotti's men, that sounds good.
📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network
☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you never miss an episode again.
📦 Box 2 Box (Weekday Afternoons): The news-driven show quickly recaps the latest headlines from around the world, with panelists previewing the day's top matchups. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports App, PlutoTV and Paramount+.
3️⃣ Attacking third (Monday, Thursday): The leading ladies football podcast And social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic seasons throughout the year.
👟 Kick it (Tuesday): Golazo Network's CBS Sports new unfiltered interview show returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group candidly chats with the biggest names in the Beautiful Game and shares their stories, both on and off the pitch.
⚽ Call it whatever you want (Monday evening): A weekly podcast with Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.
🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the latest place for fans to keep up to date with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the best football leagues and all the unmissable goals from the day's action, which starts on Thursday and airs for seven days a week.
📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel solely focused on providing unparalleled coverage of all the top football leagues worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV And Biggest+.
🎽Shop now: Enhance your game-day style, shop curated collections inspired by Golazo Network. Paramount receives a portion of the sales.
