Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund hero Patrik Berger has backed his old side – liberated from the weight of expectation – to spring a major upset in the Champions League final. 

The 50-year-old spent a single-season at the Westfalenstadion, where he won the Bundesliga before impressive performances at Euro 96 earned a moved to Anfield. 

Interestingly, the briefness of his stay has not diminished his loyalties to the club. During his chat with Mail Sport, Berger’s iconic ‘Die Continentale’ -sponsored kit – worn during Dortmund’s 1995-96 title-winning campaign – hung framed above his head. 

‘Of course the Champions League has been [Real Madrid’s] competition in the last eight or nine years,’ Berger – who has partnered with McDonald’s – told Mail Sport. ‘Historically they have won the most Champions League trophies and they’re in the final again.

‘So it’s obvious that a lot of people think that Real Madrid are going to win it again. But don’t forget that Borussia Dortmund are a good side with experience.

‘They have so many good players and you don’t get to the Champions League final as an average team – they’re a really good side too.

‘They know that it’s only one game, you’re not playing home and away, it’s just one game. 

‘And in one game, they know that anything is possible. I’m sure that they believe that they can beat anybody in one game.

‘We have seen it in the past so many times. And the role of underdogs suits them because nobody is expecting anything from them really.’

Dortmund were the fifth-best side in the Bundesliga last season and they finished a whopping 27 points behind runaway leaders Bayer Leverkusen. 

Thanks to the success of German clubs in continental competition, Dortmund are not reliant on victory at Wembley to ensure they are dining at Europe’s top table next season. They really have nothing to lose.

However, the iconic London stadium does hold painful memories for supporters. Eleven years ago under Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund suffered an agonising 2-1 defeat by their bitter rivals Bayern Munich. 

Berger is almost uniquely positioned to empathise, given that he and his Czech Republic team-mates were on the receiving end of Oliver Bierhoff’s golden goal for Germany in the final of Euro 96. 

‘Both teams are careful at the start of every final,’ he continued on the tense nature of European showpieces. ‘Nobody wants to make mistake.’ 

Indeed, the last four Champions League finals have been decided by a single goal. 

‘it’s good for the fans if someone is scoring a goal first, so then the game is going to open a little bit, and then hopefully this is going to be the different final.

‘Hopefully we’re going to see more goals. Football is all about goals. So we want to see as many goals as possible in that final.’ 

If the last few encounters between Dortmund and Madrid are anything to go by, fans will be treated to an almighty festival of goals on Saturday night. The four previous meetings have averaged more than four goals a game.

Pushed for a prediction, Berger insisted he was anything but a prophet. Still, he couldn’t resist the chance to speak an unlikely Dortmund win – only the second in the club’s history – in existence. 

‘The prediction is with my heart,’ he added. ‘And I’m going to go 2-1 Borussia Dortmund.’

Patrik Berger is encouraging fans to bag a win with McDonald’s new burger – The Hat Trick, available in store and across delivery, nationwide now. The perfect pre-match bite.