Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is the venue as Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. 

Barcelona’s battle on three fronts is going to plan, even though a 1-1 home draw against Real Betis last weekend saw them squander a glorious chance to extend their lead at La Liga’s table summit. However, high-flying Los Blaugranas head into proceedings amid a sterling 22-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W18, D4), eager to enter the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2018/19. If there’s anyone capable of navigating this quarter-final challenge, it’s Hansi Flick, who boasts a 100% win ratio against Dortmund as a manager (W6). One of those victories came in this season’s league phase in Germany (3-2), forming part of Barcelona’s scintillating run of eight wins from their last nine Champions League outings (D1). 

On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga campaign has got back on track with back-to-back victories over Freiburg and Mainz via 3+ goals ‘to one.’ However, they still languish five points adrift of the top four, highlighting the importance of going the distance in the Champions League. Ominously, they’re up against Barcelona, a side they’ve failed to beat in all five previous competitive encounters (D2, L3). As if that’s not troubling enough, the fallen German giants have only won three of their 20 away meetings with Spanish opponents in major UEFA competitions (D5, L12), casting further doubt on their quest to post a maiden H2H triumph. On the bright side, four of their six Champions League away games this season have yielded victories (L2).