Many were hoping for 'El Clasico', but Wembley Stadium is set for a German takeover on Saturday night, in what promises to be a monumental occasion for the Bundesliga, as familiar foes Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund contest the UEFA Champions League final. For Bayern Munich, the match offers a chance of redemption, as the newly-crowned German champions were beaten finalists in the competition in both 2010 and 2012. Last season's defeat, at the hands of Chelsea, hit the club especially hard and many on-lookers accused the side of lacking a killer instinct. However, the team's performances in this year's competition, culminating in their spectacular 7-0 aggregate win over Barcelona in the semi finals, demonstrate that Bayern are now ready to make amends. Clearly, given their success in the domestic league and their performances in the Champions League, they will enter the final as the favourites to lift the trophy. On the other hand, for Borussia Dortmund, the game offers a chance to complete a remarkable resurrection. Just a few short years ago, the team suffered huge financial problems and came close to folding. In fact, in a strange twist of fate, at one stage they were forced to accept a loan from their opponents in tonight's final, just to balance the books. Under the astute management of Jürgen Klopp, Dortmund achieved Bundesliga success while still recovering from those financial issues. However, as a result of those problems, Klopp has had to deal with losing many of his star players in recent years, including Nuri Sahin and Shinj Kagawa. Sahin is now back with Dortmund, but in another cruel twist, the club's current superstar, Mario Götze, is set to join Bayern in the summer, after the Munich-based club met the release clause written into his contract. Furthermore, Bayern are also believed to be leading the race to sign Dortmund's star striker, Robert Lewandowski, who sparkled in the club's semi final victory over Real Madrid.
Team News The chances of an awkward Champions League final moment have been significantly reduced by the news that Mario Götze will miss the match due to a hamstring injury. He is the side's only major injury problem, however, his absence leaves a huge void in the side. Defender Mats Hummels has also been struggling with an ankle injury and faces a late fitness test, but is expected to play. Bayern Munich, for their part, have two absentees. Toni Kroos has failed to recover in time for the match, while Holger Badstuber remains sidelined by a knee ligament injury, which could see him miss the remainder of the calendar year.
Key Men Bayern striker, Mario Mandzukic, will hope to provide a more decisive performance than the man he replaced, Mario Gomez, managed in last year's final. Meanwhile, the ever-impressive Thomas Müller will be hoping to score in a second consecutive final. Jermone Boeteng will be looking to produce a solid display and withstand the attacking threat of both Robert Lewandowski and the roaming Marco Reus. For Dortmund, Lewandowski will look to further enhance his reputation on the European stage and he will surely provide Dortmund's biggest goal threat. With Götze out of the team, much of Dortmund's secondary attacking threat will rest at the feet of Marco Reus. The left-winger will look to drift in from the flank and attack at the heart of the Bayern defence. In the defensive third, highly-rated centre back Mats Hummels will hope to put in a heroic performance to keep Bayern's attacking threat at bay. Any fitness concerns the defender has will be tested to the full.
Final Words Saturday's final will be the first all-German final in Champions League history and the first all-German final to settle a European competition since the 1980 UEFA Cup final. Many football romantics will be hoping for Borussia Dortmund to complete their resurrection and pull off a similar upset to their 1997 triumph, at the expense of Juventus. With Klopp masterminding their quest for Champions League glory, that possibility should certainly not be ruled out. However, with Götze's absence, Bayern's experience in previous finals and the team's dominant displays over the course of this season, it is hard to look beyond them as the eventual winners.