FLASH
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The serial winner of the Champions League, Real Madrid, will try to destroy the dreams of Borussia Dortmund in the final that will take place at "Wembley" tonight.
The Spanish champions seek their 15th European crown and sixth in the last 11 seasons against a Dortmund side hoping to win the competition for a second time.
"AFP Sports" has highlighted five things to keep in mind in the grand final:
Bellingham's Ballon d'Or campaign
Jude Bellingham is emblematic of the difference between the two clubs and the scale of the challenge facing Dortmund this weekend.
After breaking onto the scene as a prodigious teenage talent at Birmingham in the second tier of English football, Bellingham reached higher levels during three years at Dortmund.
He was then sold for over €100m (£85m) to Madrid 12 months ago and has shown tremendous maturity despite being just 20 years old by excelling for the Madrid side.
Bellingham has already been crowned La Liga player of the season after scoring 23 goals in all competitions to help Madrid win the Spanish title.
If he adds the Champions League trophy to his collection, he could become the first Englishman to win the Golden Ball since Michael Owen in 2001, especially with the Three Lions also fighting to win EURO 2024.
Can Sancho shine on his return home?
Jadon Sancho returns to his hometown, but in the colors of Dortmund he has flourished in two different periods.
The 24-year-old returned to Germany in January on loan from Manchester United, who paid Dortmund 73 million pounds ($93 million) for the forward less than three years ago.
Sancho struggled under three different managers at United and was eventually sacked by Erik ten Hag after a public spat with the Dutchman.
Back at Dortmund, he has looked a different player and played a key role in the semi-final first leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Victory over Madrid would cap a spectacular turnaround in his season and help ease the pain experienced a few years ago at Wembley.
Sancho was one of the three Englishmen who missed the penalty in the "EURO 2020" final lost to Italy.
Goodbye dreams for Reus?
Along with Mats Hummels, Marco Reus is one of only two Dortmund players to experience defeat in the 2013 final against Bayern Munich.
Injuries have kept him from fulfilling his full potential, including an ankle problem that saw him miss Germany's 2014 World Cup victory.
But the Dortmund-born player has been the club's big star, scoring 170 goals during an era where the Blues have helped develop Bellingham, Sancho and Erling Haaland.
Now 35, Saturday will be his 429th game and the final in a Dortmund career that could have a fairytale ending.
Fullkrug vs Rudiger
A heavyweight clash between the two German internationals could decide the fate of the final.
In two weeks' time, Niclas Fullkrug and Antonio Rudiger will line up on the same side as Germany bid for glory at EURO 2024.
They have taken very different paths to the biggest game in European club football.
Just two seasons ago, Fullkrug was playing in Germany's second division with Werder Bremen, but earned his first national team cap at the age of 29 for the 2022 World Cup and then came his big move to Dortmund last summer.
The big striker has scored 16 goals this season, including the winner in the semi-final first leg against PSG.
Rudiger is already a Champions League winner since his time at Chelsea and the centre-back played a major role in Madrid's run to the final, shutting down Manchester City striker Haaland and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.
Ancelotti, the champion of the Champions League
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti now stands as the only man to have won the Champions League four times as a coach and can create a clear distinction as the most successful coach in the competition's history at Wembley.
Ancelotti guided Milan to Champions League glory in 2003 and 2007 before ending Madrid's 12-year drought by winning a 10th trophy in 2014 during his first spell in the Spanish capital and winning it again in 2022.
But during his second spell as Real Madrid manager Ancelotti's blend of star management and tactical skills has begun to receive the plaudits he deserves and the Italian is regarded as one of the greatest of all time.
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