‘David vs Goliath’ match-ups don’t normally attract 400,000 ticket requests – especially from ‘David’ fans.

But Sunday morning’s (3am in Malaysia) Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid is not an ordinary mis-match.

Perennial giants Real may be heavy odds-on favourites to make it 15 times they have lifted Old Big Ears, but Dortmund are no ordinary underdogs.

Indeed, given the number of times they’ve played second fiddle to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, they’ve become perennial underdogs.

Yet they command such support among the working class of Germany’s industrial heartland and around the world, they could fill Wembley four and a half times.

The incredible figure of 400,000 is on the club’s website and not a misprint.

Unlike their flashy, ‘Hollywood’ compatriots, they are seen as a people’s club that lives within its means, plays attacking football and gives youth a chance.

They also have a great stadium where they pack in 80,000 every week.

So, as well as ‘David v Goliath’, the final could be billed as Europe’s Best Supported Club v Europe’s Best Club.

With 14 trophies – double that of Milan, the next most successful – it’s hard to make a case for anyone else.

And if it were decided on this season’s domestic form, it would become 15 without too much trouble.

While Real cruised to the La Liga title, Dortmund slipped to a disappointing fifth in the Bundesliga.

Typically, they were unable to take advantage of Bayern’s poor season after letting the title slip to their nemesis on the final day of the previous campaign.

It was a drama you couldn’t have scripted in which the Black and Yellows somehow contrived to draw at home to Mainz and Bayern won at Cologne.

Such is the Dortmund inferiority complex with Bayern, many German pundits believe they have a better chance against mighty Real than they would if the Bavarians were their opponents.

Memories of their last visit to Wembley – in 2013 under Jurgen Klopp – are still painful: a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bayern in a game they could easily have won.

That day, Dortmund had the neutral support as well and this time it’s likely to be even louder.

Wembley loves an underdog and although Real can command a global fan base, most British fans will be in the Dortmund corner.

With the Yellow Wall shifting brick by brick to north London, for Real, it will feel like an away game in hostile territory.

But Dortmund will need all the help they can get – their appearance in the final is nothing short of amazing.

Last season’s heartbreak was barely out of their system when the Champions League draw dumped them in a Group of Death.

They were expected to be the whipping boys for Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle and Milan.

Instead, they did the double over the Magpies and qualified for the last 16 along with the French champions.

Then they showed their mettle by knocking out PSV Eindhoven and then coming from behind to beat Atletico Madrid in two epic quarter-final legs.

In the semi-final, they edged out PSG when fortune was for once on their side, the Parisiens hitting the woodwork six times over two legs.

But still they didn’t cut it in the league.

For once, they didn’t have the budding superstar that they nurture before selling on to balance the books.

In recent years, they’ve had Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.

Sancho is back on loan from Manchester United who paid £72m for him only to see him become one of their worst ever signings.

Besides failing to sparkle, he fell out with manager Erik ten Hag and was forced to train alone.

A January return to the Signal Iduna Park saw a revival of his fortunes but he’s still behind former teammate Bellingham who was Real Madrid’s Player of the Season.

While Haaland helped Manchester City to make it four English Premier League titles in a row.

A measure of how this production line has fallen is what happened to the latest candidate for this role.

Gio Reyna, once predicted to be America’s first ‘soccer superstar’ was loaned to Nottingham Forest where he was mostly an unused sub.

Still, he didn’t fall as far as Sancho but a return to the German city reignited his career and he will go back to his London birthplace as one of the main threats to Real.

But even he would struggle to get into a composite team of both finalists as man-for-man there is no comparison.

Besides Bellingham, Vinicius Junior poses a devastating turn of pace and a knack of scoring vital goals.

But the real strength of the Spanish champions is in midfield.

With Bellingham playing in an advanced role this season, the dynamic French duo, Aurelien Tchouamene and Eduardo Camavinga are complemented by the measured passing of Tony Kroos.

It will be the German’s swansong in club football, but an even older statesman, Luka Modric, is often used late on when he can produce a vital cameo even at the age of 38.

Marco Reus will also be bowing out for Dortmund, but the ageless Mats Hummels is carrying on.

The only thing likely to cause manager Carlo Ancelotti to raise an eyebrow is who to play in goal.

Thibaut Courtois is now fit again and may get the nod over Andriy Lunin who has been such an able deputy.

There is quality throughout the team and it’s a sobering thought that Kylian Mbappe is joining next season.

Dortmund will need to summon the spirit of their epic 4-1 win over Los Blancos in the semi-final back in 2013 to have any chance.

But over a 90-minute game, anything is possible – as we’ve seen with recent results in European knockout competitions.

Atalanta did it. Manchester United did it. Olympiakos did it. And none of them had fans like Borussia Dortmund.

With an extra day to recover on Monday, it could be an occasion worthy of making an early start on Sunday morning.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.