Barcelona, the Champions League favorites, are set to host last year's finalists Borussia Dortmund at Montjuic for the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Wednesday.
Hansi Flick’s Dortmund have been impressing with their attacking football throughout the competition, justifying their spot among the favorites. With a potential match-up against either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich on the horizon, both teams have extra motivation to secure a place in the semi-finals.
For Barcelona, this clash is an opportunity to shake off the memory of their semi-final defeat to Inter Milan in 2010. Dortmund, on the other hand, could exorcise their long-standing frustration against Bayern Munich by reaching back-to-back finals.
However, Dortmund face a tough task. Barcelona are in outstanding form, remaining unbeaten in 22 games, with 18 wins. Despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Real Betis over the weekend—after Gavi’s early opener was canceled out by Natan—Barcelona are still in the hunt for a quadruple. They've already lifted the Spanish Super Cup and reached the Copa del Rey final, having edged Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate last week. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the second leg, after an incredible 4-4 draw in the first match.
Before facing Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, Barcelona has two crucial Champions League legs against Dortmund and three winnable La Liga fixtures against Leganes, Celta Vigo, and Real Mallorca.
Should Barcelona and Madrid meet in two separate finals this season, with both teams vying for the La Liga title, it could be one of the greatest seasons in Spanish football history. However, Barcelona’s league hopes were shaken recently by Real Madrid’s unexpected home loss to Valencia.
As for Hansi Flick, he’s undoubtedly focused on his team’s performance, and the attention now shifts to this first leg against Dortmund. The two sides met earlier in the group stage at Westfalenstadion, where Barcelona emerged victorious 3-2. Ferran Torres was the hero that night, scoring twice after Serhou Guirassy had equalized twice for Dortmund. Barcelona will be confident they can take a lead back to Germany for the second leg, aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
Barcelona have never lost in five previous meetings with Dortmund, and Flick holds a perfect 100% record against them, winning all six of his encounters while at Bayern Munich, including the earlier group stage win. Dortmund’s record in Spain doesn’t offer much hope either—having won just three of 20 trips, with a 5-2 loss at Real Madrid earlier this season.
Despite their poor domestic form, Dortmund cannot be underestimated. They’ve been strong in Europe recently, with their only knockout-stage defeat in the last eight being in last year's final at Wembley against Real Madrid. They’ve won their last three away matches in the knockout stages, which bodes well for their chances in this tie.
However, Dortmund's struggles in the Bundesliga leave them with slim hopes of finishing in the top four. Although they’ve secured back-to-back wins against Mainz and Freiburg, they still sit in eighth, five points adrift of fourth place. Their best chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League might be winning this year's competition.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Raphinha was kept on the bench over the weekend in preparation for this match, and he’s expected to join Lamine Yamal and former Dortmund player Robert Lewandowski in what promises to be a potent, three-man attacking force for Barcelona.
Dani Olmo will miss out due to a muscle issue, and Inigo Martinez remains a major doubt. Despite pulling out of international duty last month, there’s a chance the central defender could make a return for this game.
Barcelona will also be without Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, and first-choice goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, all of whom are out for the season due to injuries. Fortunately, Wojciech Szczesny’s solid form has helped ease the concern over the goalkeeper position.
As for Dortmund, Marcel Sabitzer was expected to be the only absentee for this match, as the Austrian midfielder is sidelined with a knee injury. However, bad news struck on Monday when it was confirmed that German international Niklas Sule, who had been recovering from a knock, has now been ruled out for the rest of the season with a meniscus tear in his left knee.
On the bright side for Dortmund, Yan Couto and Nico Schlotterbeck are both set to return from suspension, and the squad is otherwise nearly fully fit. Manager Niko Kovac will still have plenty of options available, with Serhou Guirassy likely to start after being rested last Saturday.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Torres, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Anton, Bensebaini, Svensson; Can, Ozcan, Brandt; Adeyemi, Guirassy, Beier
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 3-1 Dortmund
