Barça to face Borussia Dortmund in UCL quarterfinals
Showdown between Barça and Borussia Dortmund for a Champions League semifinal spot, after the sides won their last 16 ties against Benfica and Lille respectively to go through to the quarterfinals. The first leg will be at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Wednesday 9 April at 9pm CET, before Barça visit the Westfalenstadion the following week on Tuesday 15 April at 9pm CET. The teams have already played each other once during the league phase, with the blaugranes winning 2-3.
How did Dortmund get here?
Dortmund ended the league phase in tenth position on 15 points, having scored the second highest number of goals. That meant they had to go through a playoff round to reach the last 16, where they won 3-0 on aggregate against Sporting Clube de Portugal. Now in the last 16, they won through 3-2 on aggregate against Lille to reach the quarterfinals. The first leg was a home draw (1-1), while the second leg was a comeback win at Lille, Emre Can and Maximilian Beier scoring to counteract Jonathan David's early goal.
The German side's league campaign isn't going as well, however. Some distance from their best version that usually keeps them towards the top of the table, they are currently in tenth on 35 points. They still have quality players though, and reached the final of last season's Champions League.
Guirassy and Adeyemi the players to watch
Two of the key attackers in the German side, Guirassy has scored 10 goals in 12 games in the Champions League, whereas 23-year-old Adeyemi has scored five himself, and he is still the team's second highest scorer in the competition despite missing two months with injury. Definitely players to watch.
Positive omens for Barça
Including this season's game when Barça won 2-3, the teams have met five times in all, and the blaugranes haven't lost any of them. The previous encounter was in the group stage in 2019, with a nil-nil draw in Dortmund, while Barça won 3-1 at the Spotify Camp Nou.
The most significant meeting between Barça and Dortmund was in the European Super Cup final in the 1997/98 season. It was a two-legged affair at the time, with Barça winning 3-1 on aggregate. The first leg at the Spotify Camp Nou saw the blaugranes win 2-0, while the second leg was a 1-1 draw. This will be the first time they meet in a Champions League knockout round, and the big prize on offer is a place in last four of Europe's premier club competition.
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