UCL Final: Can Borussia Dortmund stop record-hunting Real Madrid?

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00:00 Club football doesn't get bigger than the final of the UEFA Champions League coming your way this

00:05 weekend. It's Real Madrid, the imperial champions of the UEFA Champions League, wanting to win a

00:12 15th title and then Borussia Dortmund will try to reclaim the prize they won 27 years ago. This

00:18 is our preview. My name is Ayo Mendes Shotuma and this is The Knockknock on Garden TV.

00:28 So yes, James joins me for the preview of the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid

00:34 and Borussia Dortmund and you know on paper it does look like Real Madrid will go straight on

00:39 to win this but do you perceive any chance at all for Borussia Dortmund in this final at the

00:45 Wembley Stadium? Yeah you know at this point you can see they have a chance. They are going in

00:52 as the former champions. They've played in the final twice before so they lost in 2013 so actually

00:59 they have a bit of a history with going to the Champions League final but you know on paper you

01:03 want to give it to Real Madrid. The last time they lost in the final was in 1981 when they lost

01:08 Monday to Liverpool you know so but we've seen them play like since 2000 you know 1998 when they

01:14 were winning all the way from 1998 you know so for me going into this final on paper I want to

01:21 give it to Real Madrid but you know this is football and anything can happen. We also have

01:24 a team between Leverkusen and Atalanta so you can pick something from there. But Atalanta were not

01:31 particularly underdogs in that game. With Walter, Bayern and Leverkusen, you know what they were

01:38 doing at that point they were like 51 games on beating. Before Ademla Lukman smashed everything

01:44 you know so for me I think I want to give it to Real Madrid on paper but like I said anything

01:48 can happen. This is a final where fun books can be thrown out the window. Remember in 2012 when

01:55 Chelsea went into the finals underdogs against Bayern Munich right there at the Allianz Arena

02:00 at the end of the day they came out victorious so for me I think... And you really have to consider

02:06 the run of Borussia Dortmund I mean how they've dispatched Atletico Madrid, how they've also

02:11 saw off Paris Saint-Germain you know you look at that in the run does that convince you that

02:17 they can do it against Real Madrid because Real Madrid is the ultimate test? Yeah like I said this

02:22 is the final anything can happen you know but you know realistically you want to give it to Real

02:26 Madrid because the history is there. The last time, like I told you, the last time they lost in the

02:30 final was in 1981. That's over 40 years ago. That's Real Madrid. So I think Dortmund going to this

02:39 final is similar to what happened in 1997 when you go to the final and played against Juventus.

02:44 Juventus went into their final as champions and a hot favourite but Dortmund came out victorious

02:49 you know so for me I think they can take something from there like motivation that they too can do.

02:55 Okay let's talk about the players now. The obvious player to talk about going into this

02:59 final is Jude Bellingham and that's because he's playing against his former side and also you look

03:04 up at the season is hard as well it's been fantastic for the young man 20 year old Englishman

03:10 and now I'm beginning to wonder if he perhaps scores the winning goal or has this very important

03:17 contribution in that game on Saturday night. How high will he be in terms of you know the

03:24 least for winning the Palo Alto at this point in time especially with the Euro still you know at

03:29 the back of his mind also? Yeah I think for me it's going to put him in a very strong position

03:33 maybe the top three you know because he is the top scorer if I'm not mistaken in La Liga. No it's

03:37 not. It's not but he was in the top three I think he finished with 19 goals. In your first season

03:43 in a new league that's a huge achievement. And he's not even the striker for them scoring that

03:48 huge amount of goals and you know helping his team to get to the final so to me he has put

03:53 in a position where he's in a very strong position like I said top three you know so what he needs

03:59 to do now is to do well in the Euros and also he cannot become the new Barrandel winner. Oh yes and

04:05 against his former side there's been quite some story as well but talking about Borussia Dortmund

04:10 Marco Reus is the player that I want us to discuss because I mean that'll be his final game

04:16 in the colours of that Borussia Dortmund and he also has the most goals the most appearances. I

04:22 think in terms of the most only players in the history of football I think Marco Reus is

04:27 far above you know a lot of players because last season he could have won the Bundesliga

04:33 now we're looking at him going to the UFL Champions League on paper it's not looking promising but

04:37 you know let's just consider the eventuality that he wins the Champions League final how important

04:43 would it be to sign off in that way for the club that's your boyhood club club of your dreams.

04:50 Nothing can compare to that because he's the like the last man standing now if I'm not mistaken

04:55 I think Matt Umell is too. Matt Umell yes but you know Umell left to win some things. Yeah went to

05:00 Bayern and came back you know but I don't want to wait to end your time at the club you know since

05:05 2013 I think when he joined them so he has been a key player for them but injuries have been a

05:11 problem for him at the club he missed I think a 2014 World Cup because of injury you know so but

05:16 it's going to be a big motivation for him because winning the Champions League you know bowing out

05:21 with the Champions League I mean we've seen the top players great players who left the stage

05:25 and the very sad it never happened to him you know the 2006 World Cup the red card issue you know so

05:31 for me it's going to be a big motivation for him and which other way to motivate yourself

05:35 and to bow to the clubs we love by winning the UEFA Champions League. Well we'll see if he can do that

05:42 the German a footballer lovely player but now I'm beginning to imagine that you see you are

05:49 tilting towards the underdog story in this final what's your prediction going into the final?

05:55 Yeah I think I'll say 2-1 it's a bold prediction but I think I will go 2-1

06:03 Borussia Dortmund? Yes. Are you serious? Yeah the bolder we also have Manchester United did against

06:08 Man City yeah you saw that coming but that's fine anything can happen so

06:12 like I said the bold one for me so I never thought that you come here and predict Borussia Dortmund

06:17 beating Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final. They've done it before they've done it before they can do it.

06:22 They've done it once. They knocked them out in 2013. Oh okay when you say they've done it before I mean

06:28 they've only won the UEFA Champions League once yes so you're convinced that they can do it this time?

06:33 With what I saw the way they went nobody gave them a chance you know they did it they did the

06:37 double against PSG so this is a final so it's open fine you go into the final you have your

06:42 favourite and your underdogs fine they are going in as underdogs but you saw what Wigan did to Manchester City

06:47 in 2013 so there are so many underdogs too. Oh yeah. Demian did it against Arsenal so who says Dortmund cannot do it against Real Madrid?

06:55 Interesting prediction there and of course that's how we'll leave it on this show

06:59 it'll be interesting to see if that comes true 2-1 Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid and that's

07:05 our show here today and of course you can be part of the community here by hitting the subscribe

07:11 button and also tap the notification bell to get all our latest content here on Guardian Nigeria

07:17 and thank you very much James for making the show as always. Thank you for watching, see you next time.

07:23 [Music]

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