Dortmund vs Barcelona: Flick's team, with everything in their favor to continue advancing in the Champions League

FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund face each other again this Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League. The return leg of the quarter-finals presents a solid advantage for Hansi Flick's team after the thrashing last week at Montuïc (4-0) and a very favorable outlook for the 'culés'. The 'Azulgrana' team arrives undefeated this 2025 in 24 matches in all competitions, with an impressive streak of 20 victories and 4 draws.

• 📺 Schedules and TV: when and where to watch the match live in Spain, Europe, America, Africa and Asia: SEE

Barça asserted their home advantage in the first leg, with an overwhelming victory after a perfect second half. The Catalans took the lead thanks to a goal from Raphinha in the first half and, later, a double from Robert Lewandowski and another great goal from Lamine Yamal practically sealed the tie. Dortmund, on the other hand, is against the ropes against a rival that has already defeated them twice this season.

The 'culés' prevailed in the match of matchday 6 of the league phase at Signal Iduna Park (2-3) thanks to goals from Rahpinha and Ferran Torres (2-3), a result that paved the way for the 'Azulgrana' qualification to the round of 16. Borussia, on the other hand, had to play the 'play off' against Sporting CP (3-0) to advance to the KO phase, where they also struggled to defeat Lille (3-2).

Last weekend (Saturday), both teams had complicated outings in their respective leagues. Barça defeated Leganés at Butarque (0-1) thanks to an own goal, while Borussia rescued a draw in their visit to the leader, Bayern Munich (2-2). Maximilian Beier and Waldemar Anton scored the goals for Niko Kovac's team, who remain close to the Conference League spots. 

⚽How Dortmund and Barça arrive to the return match:

Borussia Dortmund: D/L/W/W/L 

1. 🟡2-2 against Bayern Munich in Munich (matchday 29 of the Bundesliga)
2. 🔴4-0 against FC Barcelona at Montjuïc (first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals)
3. 🟢1-4 against Freiburg in Freiburg (matchday 28 of the Bundesliga)
4. 🟢3-1 against Mainz in Dortmund (matchday 27 of the Bundesliga)
5. 🔴1-0 against Leipzig in Leipzig (matchday 26 of the Bundesliga)

FC Barcelona: W/D/W/W/W

1. 🟢 0-1 against Leganés at Butarque (matchday 31 of LaLiga)
2. 🟢4-0 against Dortmund at Montjuïc (first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals)
3. 🟡1-1 against Betis at Montjuïc (matchday 30 of LaLiga)
4. 🟢4-1 against Girona at Montjuïc (matchday 29 of LaLiga)
5. 🟢3-0 against Osasuna at Montjuïc (matchday 27 of LaLiga)

Barça will seek to maintain their unbeaten record in the Champions League

For Barcelona, the visit to Dortmund is their number 12 match in the tournament. So far, the balance for Flick's team is 9 wins, 1 draw and only 1 defeat. The team is undefeated in their last 10 matches, as the only fall occurred in the debut in the league phase against Monaco (2-1). For now, the 'Azulgrana' team leads the competition in goals scored (36) and victories, which makes them the main favorite for the title.

The thrashing in the first leg against Dortmund, without a doubt, raised the team's favoritism in the tournament, although Barça faces the rematch with the greatest possible respect. Borussia has 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat at home so far as a local in the Champions League. Both in the play-off against Sporting (0-0) and in the first leg of the round of 16 against Lille (1-1), the Germans failed to win at their home ground, a not very encouraging forecast.

• 📋 Call-up: the list of Barcelona players called up for the match: SEE

Barça will be able to rest some starters in Dortmund 

In that sense, the visit to Germany is presented as a good opportunity for Flick to give rest to some of his starters. With Alejandro Balde injured, Gerard Martín will be a starter on the left wing, while Jules Koundé will remain on the right side. In the center of the defense, Ronald Araujo is expected to accompany Pau Cubarsí, while Iñigo Martínez should stay on the bench.

In the center of the field, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri are aiming to carry the 'Azulgrana' game, although it is likely that Eric García will play about 45 minutes in Germany. Further ahead could be Gavi, a substitute in the first leg due to the entry of Fermín López. Up front, the 'LRL' should be there again, although players like Ferran Torres and Fermín himself will await their opportunity. Even Ansu Fati, who added residual minutes in the first leg, also has options to play.

The great novelty of the call-up in Germany will be Dani Olmo, who returns after almost three weeks out. In principle, the player from Terrassa is ready to play about 15-20 minutes on Tuesday, although it is most likely that Flick will reserve him for Saturday's match against Celta de Vigo (16:15 CEST at Montjuïc). Andreas Christensen, who has not been able to play all season, will also be available again.

Dortmund, on the other hand, will continue without being able to count on Marcel Sabitzer and Nico Schlotterbeck, although they will recover a key piece in the center of the field. Pascal Groß, suspended in the first leg, will reappear in the Champions League, a tournament where he has 1 goal and 2 assists. In attack, it is likely that Niko Kovac will put all the available firepower from the start, with Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier accompanying Serhou Guirassy, the scorer who had a night to forget at Montjuïc.

• ℹ️ Lineups: the possible starting XIs of Dortmund and Barcelona: SEE

Barça is going for their first Champions League semi-final since 2019

In the case of the 'Azulgrana' team, the possibility of advancing to the 'semis' of the Champions League for the first time since the 2018-19 season is very close. This means an important injection at the financial level for Barça, although it also implies playing a total of 9 matches this April, including the Copa del Rey final next Saturday the 26th against Real Madrid. The first leg of the 'semis' will be played at the end of the month, while the return leg will be the first week of May, just before the Liga Clásico.

The 'Azulgrana' rival in the next phase will come from the tie between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. In the first leg, the Italians struck at the Allianz Arena (1-2), which makes them favorites to qualify. The tie will be defined on Wednesday, as will the Real Madrid-Arsenal key. The other match on Tuesday will be Aston Villa-PSG, with the English down 3-1. 

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