It solely took 124 video games to get from the group stage of the competitors which started in Milan and Bern, to the UEFA Champions League’s final match with the Champions League closing happening on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. This yr has seen a wild 374 objectives scored and simply 53 clear sheets saved, so there’s an actual likelihood the most important match of the yr can be a departure from earlier editions, with the final 4 title video games ending with a 1-0 scoreline. The 2023-24 season has been one replete with drama, plot twists and, certainly better of all, stats. Even with solely Actual Madrid and Borussia Dortmund left standing, there are nonetheless particular person accolades to be claimed, historical past to be made and curios to be uncovered. 

Viewing data

• Date: Saturday, June 1 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Wembley Stadium — London, England
• TV: CBS  | Stay stream: Paramount+
• Odds: Borussia Dortmund +420; Draw +330; Actual Madrid -165

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Champions League closing broadcast schedule

All instances U.S./Jap

• Morning Footy, 11 a.m. (CBS Sports activities Golazo Community)
• We Want To Speak, 12:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
• UEFA Champions League Immediately, 1 p.m. (CBS Sports activities Golazo Community, Paramount+)
• UEFA Champions League Immediately pre-match, 1:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
• CBS Sports activities Golazo Matchday, 1:30 p.m. (CBS Sports activities Golazo Community)
• Borussia Dortmund vs. Actual Madrid, 3 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)
• UEFA Champions League Immediately post-match, 5:30 p.m. (CBS Sports activities Community, Paramount+)
• Scoreline, 5:30 p.m. (CBS Sports activities Golazo Community)
• The Champions Membership, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports activities Golazo Community)

Here is a take a look at the competitors’s particular person leaders:

Golden Boot

Someday to likely be named the Cristiano Ronaldo award, this one seems to be finished and dusted even earlier than the competitors itself is concluded. Two gamers occupy high spot, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain, with eight objectives to their identify. You could do not forget that the semifinals didn’t go to plan for both famous person and even a participant of Mbappe’s swiftness cannot convey his transfer to Madrid that far ahead. Not like FIFA’s curious insistence that the participant with essentially the most assists ought to win the World Cup’s prize for its greatest scorer, UEFA doesn’t apply tiebreakers to the Champions League scoring race. It’s going to simply must be half a trophy for Kane.

With their nearest rivals, Antoine Griezmann and Erling Haaland, having reached the Champions League membership home with tallies of six to their identify, it seems like this can be a prize shared by Kane and Mbappe. Their eight objectives would be the first time the Golden Boot has been received by a participant who hasn’t hit double figures since 2009-10, when Lionel Messi hit a excessive watermark of eight, again within the less-than-illustrious days of Jose Mourinho’s sufferball.

Then once more that is the Champions League and there are honors to be handed out. Utilizing phrases like “finished and dusted” tends to have a remarkably restorative impression on Actual Madrid. Three of their gamers — Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and semifinal hero Joselu — have 5 objectives to their identify to this point. Three of the 4 gamers to attain hat methods in European Cup finals did so in Madrid colours. I am simply saying.

Oh as for Dortmund? Niklas Fullkrug’s on three. Most likely not then…

Help chief

Now we have got a tussle on our arms! The person along with his digits on the prize proper now slightly typifies Borussia Dortmund’s well-timed heater within the spring. Marcel Sabitzer has accomplished 213 passes, created 13 probabilities and offered 1.32 anticipated assists (xA) to the trigger. That has resulted in 5 assists, greater than anybody else within the competitors to this point. Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi should be questioning what they must do to get finishers like that on the tip of the alternatives they create.

It is nonetheless all to play for at Wembley although with Vinicius and Bellingham just one help away from drawing degree with Sabitzer. The previous specifically has been on a artistic tear within the New Yr, one to rival David Bowie in Berlin. Eleven of the 19 probabilities he has created have come on the high-stakes knockout stage moments, as has 1.61 of his 2.58 xA. Whether or not he tops the scoring or help charts, who is aware of, however preserve this manner operating by way of to Wembley and into the Copa America and also you may simply be studying in regards to the subsequent Ballon d’Or winner.

Do not miss CBS Sports activities Golazo Community’s Morning Footy, now in podcast kind! Our crew brings you all of the information, views, highlights and laughs you have to observe the Stunning Sport in each nook of the globe, each Monday-Friday all yr lengthy.

Golden glove

The footballing group is for essentially the most half now sufficiently well-versed to know that clear sheets is much from one of the best measure of a goalkeeper’s qualities. However look, what else would you could have me use? Saves? That simply favors busy gamers on dangerous groups. Objectives prevented? Too nerdy. Possession worth? What did I simply say? It won’t be good, it would reward the protection as an entire slightly than goalkeepers individually however clear sheets will do.

Luckily, on this event it additionally spotlights a participant who is kind of clearly one of the best goalkeeper within the 2023-24 Champions League. Gregor Kobel has this within the bag anyway with six clear sheets to his identify, although as Chuck Sales space notes, having one of the best goalkeeper within the match is one thing of a double-edged sword. All credit score to Alex Remiro, David Raya, Manuel Neuer and Yann Sommer, however it’s the Borussia Dortmund man who takes this prize. He would by loads of different statistical measures you may like to call.

Kobel’s 42 saves are 4 greater than anybody else within the competitors, his 7.09 objectives prevented virtually double the second-best mark set by Anatoliy Trubin. Sommer has his compatriot Kobel crushed on save share and objectives conceded per 90 minutes however look, Inter got here by way of a reasonably pat-a-cake group earlier than exiting to Atletico Madrid. Half of Dortmund’s 12 video games had been in opposition to oil state gentle energy autos masquerading as soccer golf equipment. They beat each of them to high spot in a gaggle that additionally contained AC Milan … then they knocked out PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid earlier than operating into a kind of sovereign wealth considerations once more. There may hardly be a harder check for a group and specifically for a goalkeeper. Kobel aced it.

Different statistics we like

• The issue with defensive stats is that a number of the greatest work finished out of possession includes stopping any significant motion from happening. How usually does the opposition not hit an extended ball into the channel as a result of they know that Virgil van Dijk or William Saliba are going to bully their heart ahead? Nonetheless, there’s a world for celebrating the energetic aspect of defending: hitting your opponent firmly however pretty, booting the ball, studying the go earlier than it comes. Enter Mats Hummels, who leads the Champions League in tackles, interceptions and clearances with the second-most ball recoveries. Aaah, you say, however that is simply because he has logged essentially the most minutes within the match. Alter your numbers to per 90, nevertheless, and the Borussia Dortmund heart again nonetheless leads the way in which for tackles, ranks third for interceptions and sixth for clearances. His season has been a masterclass in busy defending.
• Taking pictures objectives added (SGA) is a kind of curious metrics. Assessing the pre and post-shot xG values, it doesn’t essentially inform you all that rather more meaningfully over an extended timescale than xG itself may. The very best strikers aren’t essentially those who hit the corners each time — Heung-min Son may say in any other case although — however the ones who preserve getting themselves in taking pictures positions. Nonetheless over the comparatively temporary lifecycle of a Champions League marketing campaign, SGA does serve a distinct function, highlighting the lads whose yikes video games had an outsized impression on the match. Oh Lautaro Martinez (34 photographs, two objectives, 5.13 xG, -1.83 SGA), if solely you’d saved your Serie A kind up within the huge leagues, there may need been one other Champions League closing on the playing cards. Fabian Ruiz, we actually must get you some heading follow.
• Are we seeing a brand new post-pressing strategy on the high of the European recreation? Even Borussia Dortmund are not the practitioners of Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metallic, returning to the Wembley promised land due to tight defensive strains and immaculate off-ball form. Manchester Metropolis’s 92.4% go completion is the best in 5 years of Champions League soccer. Actual Madrid’s 90.1% ranks third whereas PSG, Bayern Munich and Feyenoord had been amongst these to be notably extra correct than in earlier years. For the competitors as an entire go completion was at 83.6%, in pre-COVID 2019-20 it was considerably decrease at 82.1%. Equally, this yr sides have received the ball within the center third on 22.6 events per recreation. 5 years in the past that was 24.3.
• Maybe that’s partly defined by simply how lengthy everyone seems to be hanging about. Twenty gamers have made greater than 150 appearances within the historical past of UEFA membership competitions. 4 of them — Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Thomas Muller and Ivan Rakitic — joined that membership this season. With all these video games coming within the Champions League, Muller now ranks degree with the ageless Xavi Hernandez on 151 Champions League appearances, only one forward of his compatriot Toni Kroos, who will retire from membership soccer after Saturday’s closing. For now, not less than that signifies that of the 15 gamers with essentially the most Champions League video games ever, 10 are at the moment nonetheless energetic. Eight of the highest 15 have been managed by Carlo Ancelotti. This period of soccer has gone on!

Should-reads

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