Showdown at Wembley
Sabitzer: “I can play really freely”
Marcel Sabitzer for the first time - or David Alaba for the fourth time? An Austrian will lift the most coveted trophy in European club soccer into the London night sky today, as Borussia Dortmund take on Real Madrid in the grand final of this Champions League season.
Unfortunately, there is only one player on the pitch: Alaba still has to miss out for the "royals" due to his cruciate ligament rupture, while Sabitzer is a regular for Dortmund and, after initial teething troubles, the Austrian has become an integral part of Borussia's starting eleven.
Failed in the semi-finals in 2020
In 2020, he came close to his first major final with Leipzig, failing to make it past Paris St. Germain in the semi-final, which was only played in one match due to coronavirus, and now the 30-year-old is "only" one match away from a major triumph.
Ahead of today's final, "Sabi" spoke to ServusTV (which will be live at the showdown at Wembley, including pre-match coverage from 7.35pm) about the cult club from the Ruhr area and his own big dream.
Sabitzer on ...
... the significance of the title for Dortmund fans: "It would mean a lot. If you look at the pictures from last year - I wasn't there then - before the decisive game in the German Bundesliga, you can imagine what would happen now if we were to win it. Unfortunately it didn't work out back then, but now we're doing everything we can because we really want to do it."
... his own performances in Dortmund: "I feel very good, I feel like I've arrived here and I'm getting a lot of confidence, I can play really freely. That's why I'm really enjoying playing with the team. It would be important to put that into practice again on Saturday."
..."real love" between him and Dortmund: (laughs) "I feel like this is the best place for me at the moment. And I have goals, ambitious goals, so I fit in very well here and can identify with the club. But of course, when you have a journey like this season, with ups and downs, and people always give you so much energy and so much positive feedback, it just shows what kind of cohesion there is. That's why it's so nice."
... the significance of the title for him personally: "If I win the Champions League with Dortmund, then my footballing life would be very fulfilled."
From Admira to Wembley
Sabitzer has already won a number of titles: second division champion with Admira in 2011 at the start of his career, double winner with Salzburg in 2015, promotion to the Bundesliga with Leipzig a year later, two-time champion with Bayern (2022, 2023) and English League Cup winner with Manchester United in 2023, as well as Austrian Footballer of the Year in 2017 - the big one today would of course be a triumph at Wembley.
Against the royals from Madrid, against national team buddy David Alaba.
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