Champions League preview: Borussia Dortmund vs PSG

PSG and Borussia Dortmund will meet in the first semi-final of the Champions League this season after they finely overcame their first-leg defeats in the quarterfinals.

PSG faced Barcelona in the last round and looked to be out of the tie in the first leg after losing 3-2 at home to the Catalans.

However, the Parisians turned things around in Spain and defeated Barcelona 4-1 to make progress to the semi-final.

This is Kylian Mbappe’s last season at PSG, and he might finally win the Champions League for them.

Since he moved to Paris, winning this competition has been the club’s main goal and they reached the final 2020, where they faced Bayern Munich.

Interestingly, there is a good chance that both clubs could meet again in the final this year, but Borussia Dortmund will have a say in that.

Edin Terzić is doing an amazing job on Dortmund's bench, and his team has been the surprise package of the season in Europe.

He was given the job on a permanent basis in 2021 after holding the role at the end of the 2020/2021 term on an interim basis.

Last season, his team nearly won the Bundesliga before a shock collapse on their final game of the season handed it to Bayern Munich.

Faced with AC Milan, PSG and Newcastle United in the group stages of the Champions League, Dortmund secured the top spot in the group.

This was the first sign that they were a team that needed to be taken seriously because they performed superbly.

But they were underrated throughout and now they have reached the semi-final of the Champions League again.

PSG knows too well that they cannot underestimate Dortmund, and we expect this game to be crackers.

Interestingly, PSG defeated Dortmund in Paris in the group stages before picking up a point in Germany to secure their place in the knockout stages.

Those games will prepare the Frenchmen for the semi-final, but a lot has changed since the last time both clubs met, and this will be a completely different game.

Match Preview

PSG is running away with the Ligue 1 title and that is not a surprise statement as they have dominated that competition in recent seasons.

Despite limiting the game time of Kylian Mbappe, the Parisians remain the top side in France and can afford to rest him in games before this match.

Dortmund, on the other hand, continue to fight for a place inside the top four in Germany, although the Germans could have five slots in the competition next term.

This means that when PSG comes to town for this Champions League first-leg semi-final, Dortmund will not have the luxury of having rested their key men because they will still be fighting for a top-four finish.

Between now and the time of this game, the Black and Yellow will face Bayer Leverkusen, who are already champions of Germany and want to finish the season unbeaten and RB Leipzig, one of their main challengers for the top four spot.

PSG, on the other hand, will face Lyon, Lorient, and Le Havre, three teams they can easily beat. Moreover, they currently have a ten-point cushion at the top of the standings in France.

This makes this game an interesting fixture, but on Champions League nights and with the fans urging you on, every player wants to be in their best form.

PSG eliminated Barcelona at Camp Nou to reach this stage, while Dortmund defeated Atletico Madrid to reach here.

However, the Parisians hold the advantage in the head-to-head games this term, after collecting four points from two games against Dortmund.

This season is not the first time that both clubs have met in the competition, as their last four head to heads have been in the UCL.

In the 2019/2020 season, they met in the quarterfinal, and PSG progressed after losing 2-1 in Germany and winning 2-0 at home.

The Parisians currently lead the head-to-head games, and they seem to be the favourites of most fans who buy tickets for the game, starting from €277.

However, winning will be far from straightforward for either of these clubs and this will be a close game to call as Borussia Dortmund tickets holders hope their team wins.

Key battles

Kylian Mbappe is the biggest player in this clash for either club and Dortmund might feel they have a good chance of progressing if they can keep him quiet.

That is a job that Matt Hummels and Niklas Süle will fancy doing as he now plays through the middle, with the impressive Bradley Barcola playing on the left of a front-three.

But there are other top players in the PSG squad, with Ousmane Dembele also one of the men to watch for Borussia Dortmund.

The former Barcelona man plays on PSG’s right wing, which means there will be an interesting battle between him and Ian Maatsen down BVB’s left wing.

Maatsen has been superb since he joined them on loan from Chelsea and will relish the chance to shackle such a top player.

Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi will pose the most significant threat to PSG in this game, with their speed expected to be a huge problem for the likes of Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.

Julian Brandt is in superb form and will be a significant threat through the middle for BVB, making life hard for the likes of Vintinha and Fabian Ruiz.

In a tactical battle, PSG will struggle in Dortmund and they know this, having never won on their previous three visits to that ground.

Managerial inputs

Terzic has had an amazing start to life as a senior manager with BVB, but this game sees him go head to head with a more experienced coach in European football.

His fans will argue that he did it in the last round against Diego Simeone and won, which is remarkable for him.

However, in Luis Enrique he is not facing a manager who has reached the final of the Champions League, but one who has won the competition before.

Enrique did it with Barcelona in 2015 and his team was one of the best sides we have watched in decades.

He is making PSG stronger and more experienced on European nights, which is why BVB will struggle in this game.

Because it is being played in Germany, the home side will have some advantage, but PSG destroyed Barcelona in Spain to reach this round and the experience of their manager was important.

But Terzic knows it is nights like this that he will prove he can compete against the best coaches in Europe, and his team must finish the first leg with a good advantage.

Conclusion

PSG’s visit to Germany will be a tough fixture for the Ligue 1 side, but with Mbappe, Dembele and Barcola leading the line, BVB must be on their best form to win the game.