BVB conjures up the miracle of Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund needs a football miracle to reach the semifinals of Tuesday's Champions League match against FC Barcelona. Meanwhile, Aston Villa is looking to catch Paris Saint-Germain off guard.

15 April 2025

From: apa/sn

Borussia Dortmund must make up no fewer than four goals in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg against FC Barcelona. "We want to win the game and show a completely different face," said BVB coach Niko Kovac on Monday. Even a victory for Dortmund would be a success, as Barcelona are unbeaten in 24 competitive matches (20 wins/4 draws).

Advancing would require a convincing five-goal victory – extremely unlikely given the current run of Hansi Flick's Catalan team. "That would probably be the greatest football miracle in the history of Borussia Dortmund," said BVB sporting director Lars Ricken.

Flick: “We are not through yet”

In any case, Flick warned against taking the game lightly, despite the generous cushion. "We're not through yet, because you simply never know what can happen," the German said. Anything is possible in football. The attacking triangle of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal should ensure that nothing goes wrong in Germany.

Lamine Yamal and Co. aim to secure a place in the semifinals against Borussia Dortmund. © APA/afp / LLUIS GENE

BVB, meanwhile, is hoping for further improvement. In the Bundesliga, they responded to the 0-4 defeat in Barcelona at the weekend by drawing 2-2 away with FC Bayern Munich. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, who is still without injured Austrian national team player Marcel Sabitzer, is hoping to build on that. "We want to try to win over our fans, the 81.000, to our side. That can only be achieved through passion, performance, and willingness to run. A quick goal would help us." Captain Emre Can, who is suffering from adductor problems, could be absent.

Villa starts to catch up against PSG

Aston Villa will need to make up not four, but at least two goals against the French champions from Paris. The seventh-placed Premier League team has had a strong campaign in Europe's premier club competition so far and is currently in good form. In their last nine competitive matches, they have won eight and lost one – the same match against PSG. "Of course it will be difficult, but we have to feel strong at home and try to harness the fans' energy. If we play our best football, we can do it," said Villa coach Unai Emery.

Unai Emery believes in his team. © APA/afp / PAUL ELLIS

However, despite the home game in Birmingham, coach Luis Enrique's team could be a size too big for them. The French team had already eliminated Liverpool in the round of 0 and now, like last year, are aiming for the Champions League semifinals. There, they will face the winner of the match between Real Madrid and Arsenal (3-1 first leg), while Barcelona would likely face either Bayern Munich or Inter Milan (2-XNUMX).