Borussia Dortmund-FC Barcelona: A clash between two contenders for European leadership

FC Barcelona face their last European match of the year. Despite the new setback in La Liga, against Real Betis, the Catalans must focus on beating Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. It will not be an easy task, as their rival has won 8 of the 9 games they have played at their stadium, drawing the remaining one. Also, focusing exclusively on the Champions League, the last defeat at home was in November 2021, which means 13 consecutive games without losing at home, with 9 wins and 4 draws.

It is a difficult challenge, but if Barça is third in the table, tied on points with their next opponent but with a greater goal difference, it is not by chance. The team managed by Hansi Flick has won four consecutive Champions League games, having only lost to Monaco, the match that inaugurated both teams' participation in the competition.

Barça, on the charge with Araujo now recovered

Through its official channels, FC Barcelona has announced the 23-player squad that Hansi Flick has drawn up. However, there was one name that stood out above the rest, that of Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan centre-back has been given the medical all-clear and will be part of the Barça expedition that will head to Germany. A priori, as Hansi Flick said before the match against Betis, he will not play, but it cannot be ruled out that he could have some minutes if the context is favourable and the player's feelings are good.

Regarding the squad, there is no further news. Likewise, the Blaugrana team is expected to go out with everything it has to beat Dortmund. They are a very strong opponent and their pitch is impressive, so a victory could help the Catalans to face the two league matches, against Leganés and Atlético de Madrid, that remain before the Christmas break with more confidence.

Although the statistics support the German team regarding playing at their stadium, there are others that support FC Barcelona. To begin with, Dortmund has never beaten the Catalan team. In the Champions League, they have faced each other 4 times and the distribution is equal between draws and victories for the Blaugrana. Likewise, they have also faced each other in the 1997 European Super Cup, played over two legs, and in the first leg the Catalans won (2-0) and in the return leg it ended in a draw (1-1). In addition, Hansi Flick has never lost against the team from the Ruhr basin and Lewandowski has scored 27 goals against them in 26 matches.

Dortmund unbeaten at home

As mentioned previously, Borussia have managed to make Signal Iduna Park a fortress. Three years without losing at home in the Champions League and zero defeats this season at home. The team managed by Nuri Sahin has only been defeated in one match in this edition of the continental championship, against Real Madrid (5-2). It is also important to note that, against 'Los Blancos', they played their only demanding match, as their rivals have been Club Brugge, Celtic, Sturm Graz and Dinamo Zagreb.

Regarding the casualties, the home coach will not be able to count on Niklas Süle or Waldemar Anton, both injured in the last two Bundesliga matches. Meier, who was substituted in the last match due to a knock, could be included in the squad and, finally, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi are doubtful, although they are not ruled out.

Thus, the third and fourth places in the Champions League have the opportunity to break the equality in points in the table. If one of them wins and Liverpool lose to Girona, there will be a change at the top of the table. However, to reach the top spot, the Reds cannot just lose, but Inter cannot beat Leverkusen on Tuesday. A thrilling day.

Match details

• All the match information: Borussia Dortmund - FC Barcelona
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• Competition: Champions League 2024/25- J6 
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• Call-up: Barça's squad
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• Possible line-ups: The XI of Barça and Dortmund
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• Stadium: Signal Iduna Park, 81.365 espectators
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• Referee: François Leteixer (France)
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• Clasificationn:  Dortmund (4º) contra Barça (3º)
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• Schedule and TV: When and where to watch the match - World Guide
• Tickets: Buy tickets for watch Borussia Dortmund vs Barça