Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid preview: Champions League final team news and predicted lineups
Despite only finishing fifth in the German Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund had a very successful European campaign.
After impressively finishing top of a group that also included Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle, the Black and Yellows went on to knock out PSV, Atletico Madrid and, most recently, Paris Saint-Germain to book their ticket to Wembley.
While they've certainly had their fair share of tough tests in Europe already, the toughest of all will come on Saturday when they take on the most successful Champions League side in history in Real Madrid.
The newly-crowned Spanish champions are no strangers to the biggest game in European club football, having won the Champions League eight times since the tournament's rebranding in 1992.
With that in mind, Dortmund are naturally big underdogs, but as BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl recently pointed out, it's far from the first time they've been in this position - and it could turn out to be an advantage.
"It creates the joy and the willingness to give everything, to be courageous - because we have nothing to lose against Real Madrid," Kehl told Kicker.
Marco Reus, who could end his 12-year spell at Dortmund in style with a win, expressed similar thoughts.
"Real Madrid have been to the final five times in the last 10 years. You know the quality you're up against. You know that the players are used to this situation, that they're probably less excited. But that won't decide whether you win the game or not," said Reus in a recent interview published on Borussia Dortmund's website.
"At the end of the day, it's a game and anything can happen in a game. We have to believe in it and we will believe in it," added Reus, who played in Borussia Dortmund's last Champions League final in 2013, also at Wembley, when they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich.
On the injury front, Ramy Bensebaini and Julien Duranville are out for Borussia Dortmund, while Sebastien Haller is a big doubt due to an ankle problem. Real Madrid will be without David Alaba and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
