The Champions League Final would kick off at 8:45 p.m. on June 6, but Real Madrid did not leave Madrid for Berlin until noon on June 5, after finishing their morning training session and having lunch with the club's management and Board of Directors members.
By then, the entire city of Berlin was already brimming with the feverish atmosphere of the Champions League Final. Countless Real Madrid and Barcelona fans had gathered in the German capital from Spain and all over the world.
Although large numbers of Real Madrid supporters and local Berlin fans had come to the airport to welcome the team, Real Madrid did not linger. After stepping off their private plane, they boarded a bus on the tarmac and headed straight for the hotel, avoiding the disturbance caused by the fans.
After arriving at the hotel and resting briefly, the team headed to the Berlin Olympic Stadium for a familiarization session on the eve of the match. Although it was only a training session, the stands still attracted numerous media reporters and fans.
As with their previous familiarization sessions, Real Madrid's training held nothing particularly special. They had simply added more shooting drills and set-piece offensive and defensive practice than usual. Everyone knew that Real Madrid's set-piece defense had always been a weak point.
As the venue for the Champions League Final, the Berlin Olympic Stadium had also remodeled the layout of its changing rooms. There was no longer a traditional distinction between the home and away teams, and the two changing rooms were almost identical. Besides the main hall, made up of the players' rest area and the coaches' rest area, they also contained a gym and bathrooms—the basic facilities of any changing room.
Real Madrid and Barcelona's training times were staggered to prevent the two