It is the final week that the Chelsea football club can lay claim to the European Champions trophy after its players emerged victorious upon the declaration of full time at the end of the final match against Bayern Munich in May 2012. Coincidentally, their German opponents have received a second chance at the championship this year and will engage in an association football battle against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium this Saturday, May 25, 2013.
On paper, Dortmund represents a daunting competitor with a considerable presence that revolves around its “puppet master” IIkay Gundogan, as well as the successive German championship victories in 2011 and 2012. A less obvious sign of the club’s weight can be found in the balance sheets; in a football era of finances, where a treasurer is just as important as the coach, Dortmund is Europe’s eleventh wealthiest club — compared to the fourth position of Bayern — and it appears that the successful German team is not reliant upon spectacular transfer fees to shine on the field.
On the sidelines, but no less significant, are the two coaches that will be steering the teams on Saturday — Jupp Heynckes for Bayern Munich and Jürgen Klopp in opposition. Interestingly, a twenty-three-year age gap separates the two former players; only time will tell whether the fiery ambition of the younger Klopp will prevail over the mature and authoritative calm of the sixty-eight-year-old ex-German international who remains third on the all-time scoring charts for the Bundesliga league.
As for the in form Gundogan, the £17-million-rated star player has been identified by Manchester United as a strong contender to strengthen the English club’s weakened midfield, as players leave and Paul Scholes is winding up his career. If successfully transferred, Gundogan would be the first signing under new manager David Moyles, but Dortmund would be less than pleased to see him go, as the 22-year-old has not only been instrumental in the German club’s success, but teammate Mario Gotze signed a £31.5-million contract to join rival club Bayern last week. Furthermore, Dortmund’s Robert Lenandowski is an ongoing consideration for both Bayern and Manchester United.
Klopp is considered the underdog going into the weekend’s event and he referred to Bayern as the “best team in the world” in an interview with UEFA reporter Steffen Potter. Surrounded by England’s Stratford City and the UEFA Champions Festival, which will be on its third day by the time the whistle blows for kick-off, the players of Dortmund and Bayern will compete on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. under the anticipatory gaze of the UEFA’s 8.6 million fans around the globe. The UEFA trophy will be on show at Trafalgar Square from Wednesday and only the result of the Champions League face-off will determine its next destination.
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