TWO English aces are set to play pivotal roles for their teams at Wembley as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund contest the Champions League final.
Those players, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho, have had very different routes to get to this stage of the season.
Bellingham signed for Real Madrid at the start of this season from Borussia Dortmund and plays as the most advanced and attacking midfielder and as one of the leaders of this new look side.
At age 20, Bellingham has already established himself as a key player for club and country and he has enjoyed an incredible debut season in Spain with 23 goals and 12 assists in 41 games in all competitons.
Meanwhile, Sancho has endured a bizarre season that has ultimately ended in him flourishing at Borussia Dortmund.
The 24-year-old moved away from Dortmund in 2021 as he joined Manchester United for £73m, but fell out with the manager EriK ten Hag.
Dortmund struck a loan deal to bring Sancho back to Germany in January and while that loan spell will end after this match, he has scored three goals and added three assists in 20 games.
Here, we take a look at how each of them can make their impact felt in the final and see which of these lions will come out on top.
Jude Bellingham
It is a mark of the quality of Bellingham and his self belief that he has been able to become a key player at the Spanish giants.
They tend to play in a loose 4-2-3-1 system with a lot of movement and rotations from their attack minded players.
Bellingham typically starts as the most advanced midfielder or the 10 just behind the striker, in the same role we can expect to see from him this summer for England at the Euros.
He is a threat driving at the opposition in transition and his ability to move in possession and play with his head sees him create chances for team-mates who break the last line of the opposition defence.
Dortmund’s problem will be whether they defend deep and compact or look to press up and defend in a higher block, though we are likely to see Bellingham breaking through and carrying the ball in dangerous areas.
Bellingham has a very high technical level and his ability to play with his head up and to bring others into the game as he moves in possession will create real threat in this game.
Playing as the attacking midfielder or 10 with the mobility and dynamism of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo may see the positioning and intelligence of Bellingham really hurt Dortmund in this match.
Smart movement and an ability to find pockets of space in the opposition half and final third will enable him to find areas where he can receive the ball.
Playing in pockets of space between the lines of the midfield and the defence will see Bellingham helping his team to move the ball forward into dangerous areas as they are in the attacking phase.
His high technical ability and ability to find space to receive the ball make him effective when having to play in tight spaces in either half of the pitch.
The former Birmingham star will be the key player for his side this coming weekend.
As he receives the ball in the positions he likes he does not panic and he can turn under pressure before finding longer through passes to release runners in and behind the opposition defensive line.
Jadon Sancho
Sancho is likely line up on the right-side of Dortmund’s 4-3-3 system.
Crucially, however, we are still likely to see Sancho swap sides or even come inside to play in the channels or the central areas as Dortmund are in the attacking phase.
Sancho is another player with a high technical level.
And he has the ability to get on the ball in the wide areas of channels and to show composure and clinical passes to break through the last line.
When receiving the ball in the final third Sancho is also a threat to carry the ball dynamically.
Sancho is not a player blessed with top pace.
However, he is quick with the ball at his feet and keeps the ball close, manipulating and shifting the ball through channels as he drives towards the opposition goal.
In this match, Real Madrid will have to find a way to double up against Sancho to prevent him from breaking through their defence with the ball.
As he attracts and beats one defensive player another is coming around to cover but Sancho also can outplay that player.
Sancho is an attacking player who provides a threat whether he is driving in possession of the ball or linking the attack through clever passes.
There is little doubt in this upcoming match that Sancho will be a key attacking player for Dortmund.
And consequently Real Madrid will have to come up with a plan to stop him from driving at them in possession.
Sancho can also act as a key creator for Dortmund, while only four players with significant minutes this season have more fouls drawn per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund come into this match as clear underdogs but a player with the technical level of Sancho could help them to even the field.
Conclusion
With this game being played in England at the national stadium there is a nice sense of symmetry to the fact both sides have English players in key attacking roles.
While Sancho has started to find some form as the season has drawn to an end in Germany, it is Bellingham who comes into the final as the player to watch.
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