The incredible rise of England midfielder Jude Bellingham looks likely to continue when Real Madrid head to Wembley for the Champions League final on Sunday (5am AEST) as overwhelming favourites to beat Dortmund and be crowned European Champions for a 15th time.

It is a competition the record holders expect to win and that belief has driven them across the line time after time.

Their ridiculous record of 14 titles is twice as many as its closest rival AC Milan.

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This season they had to overcome defending champions Manchester City and did so via a penalty shootout in the away leg having been held at home. Following that escape, Los Blancos had another stunning late show against Bayern Munich as Joselu scored in the 88th and 91st minute to make it 4-3 on aggregate.

Madrid have lost just twice in 54 games in all competitions this season. They cruised to La Liga title by 10 points and smashed their Spanish rivals Barcelona 4-1 in the domestic Cup competition.

It has been quite the first year for Bellingham and continues his stunning rise from Birmingham, to Dortmund to the cusp of a treble with Real Madrid.

“I came here because I wanted to win, and to expect it,” said Bellingham, who was voted La Liga’s player of the season this week. He scored 19 goals and had six assists in 28 league games this season, and tallied 23 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the club.

“It is a bit greedy almost, but you have to be confident when you’re playing with so many great players.”

Bellingham is preparing to face his old teammates, who have struggled in his absence. They finished fifth in the Bundesliga, 27 points behind Bayer Leverkusen.

It has been a different story in the Champions League though where they will line up for a third final.

Edin Terzic team won the toughest group – featuring Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle – and then won knockouts against PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid and PSG in the semis.

That result ended Kylian Mbappe’s chance of a European title with PSG – and the French superstar is expected to link up with Bellingham in Madrid white next season.

“They’ve prepared their season around the run in the Champions League,” said Bellingham of his former team.

“They’ve played amazingly, the character and mentality they’ve shown in a lot of games. They’ve had a tough run to the final as well and you have to respect that.”

Odds makers have Dortmund a $3.35 outsider to Madrid’s $1.30 to win the tie but Dortmund fan turned head coach Edin Terzic is defiant.

“Our goal wasn’t to qualify for the final, our goal is to win the Champions League,” said Terzic.

“And if you want to win the Champions League, you have to beat the champions. Now the absolute champion in the history of soccer and especially in this competition is waiting for us. The ultimate boss.”

In the other technical area is a master of the coaching game – Carlo Ancelotti.

He can become the only coach to win Europe’s top trophy four times.

Meanwhile his players Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, in the final club game of his career, could match Madrid legend Paco Gento as the only players to win the competition six times.

Ancelotti is the very definition of cool – although he acknowledges he will feel the stress at kickoff.

This is his sixth European Cup final as a coach, Real’s sixth in 10 years, and the 1,324th game Ancelotti has taken charge of in his career.

“I’m the same [as always]. The week is happiness, enjoy it, then the worry will come, the fear, but that’s normal and until it does I want to enjoy it,” he told reporters.

“The fear, the cold sweat, comes on Saturday afternoon: that’s every game. I have my routine that I will follow, nothing special. A little bit of superstition because I have been taught that not having it brings bad luck.”

Ancelotti also revealed his stress reliving strategy.

“I like to eat… Broccoli. Salmon. And pasta. That’s what I’ll eat. Then I’ll have an hour’s siesta, if I can. I think that’s good. Then there’s all the thoughts about the game. Just before the team talk starts and the heart rate starts to go up: 110 beats per minute, 120. And it stays there until the game starts. And when the game starts, it returns to normal.

“But that’s normal, and my team gives me confidence: they’re focused, in Champions League mode. We have a week to prepare the game and the most important thing is for the players to have a clear idea of what to do. We give them clear information, because that’s the best way to reduce the stress.

“Can we say the best two teams have reached the final? Yes, the best two teams have reached the final of the Champions League.

“We have all the excitement and optimism in the world. Calm, confidence, positive.”

The final will be a test for UEFA as a major event returns to Wembley after distressing and violent scenes for the 2020 European Championships final recently documented in a Netflix program titled Attack on Wembley.

UEFA were also forced to apologise to Liverpool fans for the organisation of the 2022 Champions League final in Paris that an independent review found “almost led to disaster”.

The English Football Association (FA) have invested £5 million ($6 million) into improving safety and infrastructure at Wembley, which is also set to host the Euro 2028 final.

“We never foresaw events like that for the Euros final and I’m not sure we will again but we’ve learned lessons and additional measures have been implemented,” said the FA’s director of tournaments and events Chris Bryant.