In this season's Champions League final, no matter what the result is, just looking at the comparison of strengths, it is indeed a bit different. First of all, Real Madrid's current squad doesn't need to be said, and Dortmund has lost ace players for two consecutive seasons, if you want to say that the strength has not declined, I don't believe it. Looking at the Champions League qualification this season, it is true that Dortmund have qualified from the top of the Group of Death, but after they entered the knockout round, they did encounter opponents who were a certain gap with Real Madrid's opponents. Moreover, in the quarterfinals, Dortmund was divided into a significantly weaker half. Although you can't say that Barcelona, Paris, and Atletico Madrid are not strong, but in a horizontal comparison, would you rather meet these three opponents, or would you rather meet Bayern, Manchester City, and Arsenal in the other half?
In fact, what best reflects the difference in strength between the two teams is the league standing. In itself, the overall level of La Liga is one step higher than that of the Bundesliga, and Real Madrid won the championship strongly this season, locking the first place in four rounds in advance. Dortmund, on the other hand, hovered around four or five throughout the season and ended up fifth. Even if we forcibly put La Liga and the Bundesliga on the same level, Real Madrid first, Dortmund fifth, the gap is obvious.
Of course, when it comes to the Champions League final, elements such as league rankings can only stand aside, and who can have the last laugh in the end depends on the on-the-spot performance.
In the Champions League final, the first in La Liga versus the fifth in the Bundesliga, a sense of crushing strength came to the face. However, there is another final in the history of the Champions League, which is the opposite of this one, which is first in the Bundesliga and fifth against La Liga.
In the 00-01 season, Bayern vs Valencia.
Needless to say, Bayern were at the peak of their strength under Effenberg at the time. Valencia was also very strong in the years at the turn of the century, reaching the Champions League final in the 99-00 season, so it is equivalent to reaching the end of the Champions League for two consecutive seasons. However, in the 00-01 season, Valencia's performance in La Liga was not as strong as the previous season, and before the final round, they were only in fourth place. Of course, this result is enough for them to qualify for next season's Champions League.
But old fans should remember the last round of La Liga that season, the shocking 3:2. Barcelona, ranked fifth, overtook Valencia and grabbed fourth place through this victory. Valencia, on the other hand, lost their Champions League place at the last minute. Barcelona's three goals, all of which came from Rivaldo, especially the barb at the end, are simply masterpieces.
However, even after finishing fifth in La Liga, Valencia still struggled with Bayern, the first in the Bundesliga, in the Champions League final. The two sides played 1-1 after 120 minutes, and in the end, Valencia lost on penalties, relegated to second place, and at the same time, lost qualification for next season's Champions League. However, in the 01-02 season, Valencia, who was not tied to the Champions League, won the La Liga championship, which shows that their strength is online. The fifth place in the 00-01 season is not enough to show their true ability.
In that year, the first in the Bundesliga met the fifth in La Liga, only won one draw, and finally could only win through penalty shootouts; So this time, will La Liga first vs Bundesliga fifth, will that situation be repeated? To be honest, although the gap in the rankings is the same, in terms of strength comparison, Valencia was indeed not much worse than Bayern; And today's Dortmund seems to be much worse than Real Madrid. But it's hard to say exactly what kind of trend the game will show, so let's wait and see.