THIRD TIME LUCKY

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has said that he hopes to get third time lucky in the Champions League final when his club take on Borussia Dortmund on May 25 at Wembley. This will be the third Champions League final for the club in the last four seasons, but they have lost the previous two encounters. The first Champions League loss against Inter Milan was followed by the defeat on penalties against Chelsea last season. Ribery, who has been part of the team on both occasions, has said that the Champions League is the only medal that he has failed to win since joining Bayern Munich several years ago.

He has already won three league titles with the German club, that this would be his first Champions League medal. Ribery has acknowledged that winning the competition is not straightforward because Borussia Dortmund are an extremely good team, but given the fact that they know their German archrivals much better than anyone else, they are well prepared. Ribery has claimed that he knows the Dortmund team inside out. A number of crucial players are expected to be missing for Dortmund including Gotze, who will join Munich in the summer.

This will be the second Champions League final for Ribery after he missed the match against Inter Milan due to a suspension.

“I have won everything with Bayern, only this title is missing. We have to win for this club, these fans, this team. That was hard, if you don’t play you are sad. That hurt. That was a shock for all of us. We know what it feels like to be in the final. That is nothing new for us. Jupp Heynckes was important for me, for my self-belief, my happiness, my enjoyment on the pitch,” said Ribery ahead of the match.