Barça must take extreme precautions: Dortmund, the penalty king in this Champions League

FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund will measure forces this Wednesday in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25. The Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys will be the stage for the first clash between Catalans and Germans, with the aim of taking a firm step towards the 'semis' of the most prestigious tournament in Europe.

For this duel, Barça starts with a historical advantage. The Azulgrana team has demonstrated superiority against Borussia Dortmund in previous encounters, and the precedents in knockout stages against German clubs in this round are very encouraging. On several occasions, the culé team has been victorious in the quarterfinals against German rivals.

The threat of Borussia Dortmund from the penalty spot

However, not everything is calm for Hansi Flick's team. Although the numbers are not directly negative, there is an aspect that should raise alarms in the culé coaching staff: Borussia Dortmund is the team that has been awarded the most penalties in their favor in this edition of the UEFA Champions League, with a total of seven maximum penalties awarded.

TEAMS WITH THE MOST PENALTIES IN FAVOR IN THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2024/25:

• Borussia Dortmund: 7
• Inter Milan: 6
• Bayern Munich: 5
• Arsenal, SL Benfica and Manchester City: 4
• FC Barcelona, Atalanta, Feyenoord, Liverpool and Real Madrid: 3

Even, Barcelona already has a recent experience with this statistic. On matchday 6 of the group stage, the Barcelona team crossed paths with Borussia Dortmund, and the referee sanctioned a maximum penalty after an infraction by Pau Cubarsí on Serhou Guirassy, the player of the German club who has caused the most penalties in the tournament (three in total). The aurinegro striker converted from the penalty spot, momentarily equaling the score in a match that ended 2-3 in favor of Barça.

Penalty in favor of Dortmund in this action of Cubarsí on Guirassy.

The Guinean striker transformed the maximum penalty. #UCL #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/7zQrQpAsfn

— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) December 11, 2024

The own area, a zone of maximum vigilance for Barça

With this in mind, Barcelona must take extreme precautions inside their area. Dortmund has not only received many penalties, but has also shown a remarkable effectiveness in converting them into scores: has cashed six of the seven indicated. The culé defense must be very careful, especially considering the ability of the German team to arrive with danger to the rival area.