Jamie Carragher says Real Madrid will lose Champions League final in bold prediction about Dortmund
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has backed Borussia Dortmund to beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final. The summit clash is set to take place at Wembley on Saturday, June 1.
Carragher, who has often stressed about the luck factor for Los Blancos in the Champions League, has predicted they will lose on Saturday. He has predicted a 2-1 win for the German side, saying (via Madrid Xtra):
“My prediction is 2-1 win for Dortmund.”
Carragher has often taken digs at Real Madrid for winning the Champions League without entirely dominating the game. He previously said that they cannot compete with Manchester City, Arsenal, and Inter Milan this season. He also backed City to beat Los Blancos in the quarter-finals.
The record 14-time Champions League winners though, got past Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-finals after the game was a 4-4 draw. They then beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals to reach the final.
Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, beat Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals before beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals. They have won just three games against Real Madrid in their previous 14 meetings in the Champions League, with the latter winning six times.
Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid's ability to score late goals ahead of UCL final against Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid have become renowned for scoring some crucial late goals, especially in the Champions League over the years. The iconic Sergio Ramos header in the 2014 final or the Rodrygo Goes brace in the 2022 semi-finals are some examples.
They also scored a late brace in the semi-finals against Bayern Munich this season. Trailing 3-2 on aggregate, Joselu came on as a substitute and scored in the 88th minute and the 91st minute to win it for Los Blancos.
Ahead of the final against Borussia Dortmund, manager Carlo Ancelotti was asked about their ability to score late goals and he answered (via Managing Madrid):
“That’s a complicated question. It depends. But there is something special about this club; so many times can’t be a coincidence. Maybe history, tradition, quality... I don’t know, but it’s happened many times and that means it’s no coincidence.”
A win for Real Madrid will see them extend their record of Champions League trophies to 15. They will move eight ahead of second-placed AC Milan.