Real promise a re-run as European champs

For Real Madrid it is a return to the scene of their greatest ever triumph, for Bayer Leverkusen a chance to make history of their own. Not ...

For Real Madrid it is a return to the scene of their greatest ever triumph, for Bayer Leverkusen a chance to make history of their own. Not for years has the European Cup final been such a David and Goliath affair.

Real are bidding to win the competition for the third time in five years, after final victories over Juventus in 1998 and Valencia two years later extended their record to eight European Cup wins.

Glasgow’s Hampden Park was the scene of their greatest performance, when in 1960 they made it five European Cup wins out of five with a mesmerising 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the final. The current Real team know they are a long way from winning the legendary status of the likes of Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, who between them scored all seven goals in that final.

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With the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul, Roberto Carlos and Fernando Hierro, they have a side capable of extraordinary football, though, and they are looking forward to showing what they can do on Wednesday.

“It’s true that if we win the European Cup again it will give us a great record over the last few years,” the Spanish international Ivan Helguera said in the build-up to the game.

“You could than talk again about Real Madrid’s dominance in Europe. If we win on Wednesday people will talk about this team for a long time.”

There have been disappointments this year, with the King’s Cup and Spanish League both slipping away from them, but the players are bristling with confidence as they look to bring a successful end to their centenary season.

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“The mood in the dressing room is very, very good,” said Spanish forward Guti.

“It could be a help to us that Bayer Leverkusen are not used to playing this kind of final. We know we have to keep our concentration, though, as we know they have good, quick players who know what they’re doing.”

(Reuters)