Dortmund want to erase their 4-0 quarterfinal setback to Barcelona in the Champions League second leg in Germany.
LaLiga leaders Barcelona are on the cusp of their first UEFA Champions League final-four appearance in six years as they travel to Germany to play Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Dortmund will be counting on fervent home crowd support at BVB Stadium to help erase the team’s goal deficit after their 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Barcelona last Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona, chasing their first Champions League trophy since 2015, are unbeaten across all competitions in 2025. Armed with a sizeable four-goal advantage and game-winners across their star-studded outfit, Barca will be an extremely difficult opponent for Dortmund to overcome in the second leg.
The German club has it all to do if they are to progress to the Champions League semifinals for a second straight year.
Here is all to know before the quarterfinal decider:
What happened in the first leg?
Barcelona simply overwhelmed Dortmund with their offensive firepower.
Star forward Robert Lewandowski put two goals past his former club, and attacking wings Lamine Yamal and Raphinha joined in with a goal each to wreak havoc on the Dortmund defence.
The 4-0 win equalled Barcelona’s largest margin of victory in a UEFA quarterfinal.
How good is this Barcelona side?
Many commentators are claiming this is the best Barcelona side in the post-Lionel Messi era.
Four points clear atop the LaLiga ladder with seven games remaining, facing Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on April 26, and on the brink of a UEFA Champions League semifinal, Barcelona are enjoying their best statistical season since Messi’s departure in 2021.
Barcelona now the only undefeated top-flight team in Europe
It is halfway through April and the Catalan giants have not lost a game in 2025.
Their 1-0 win over Leganes in LaLiga on Sunday brought their unbeaten run to 24 games.
That streak is the equal fifth longest in the club’s history.
Team news: Barcelona
Barcelona will field a mostly unchanged lineup against Dortmund from last week with Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Fermin Lopez in the midfield, while Yamal and Raphinha will play just behind key forward Robert Lewandowski.
One omission is first-choice left-back defender Alejandro Balde, who is out for several weeks after suffering a leg injury against Leganes on Sunday.
In some positive news for the club, Spanish international Dani Olmo has been medically cleared, and the attacking midfielder will make the trip to Germany, but he is unlikely to play significant minutes as he works his way back to match fitness.
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Team news: Dortmund
As in the first leg against Barcelona last Wednesday, Dortmund will be without the services of Austrian international midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who are still out with knee injuries.
Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Beier scored for Dortmund at the weekend away against Bayern Munich in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Allianz Arena, although Beier is tipped to come off the bench for the Barcelona return fixture on Tuesday.
Waldemar Anton in action.
Defender Waldemar Anton, right, who scored against Bayern Munich on Saturday in the Bundesliga, will again need to roam forward into attack if Dortmund are to make an impression on Barcelona’s four-goal lead after the opening Champions League quarterfinal leg [File: Matthias Schrader/AP]
Possible lineups:
Dortmund starting XI: Kobel; Bensebaini, Anton, Can; Ryserson, Nmecha, Gittens, Chukwuemeka; Adeyemi, Brandt; Guirassy
Barcelona starting XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo, Martin; de Jong, Pedri, Fermin; Yamal, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Form guide
Dortmund: Their results in the last five matches (across all competitions)
D-L-W-W-L (most recent result first)
Barcelona: Their results in the last five matches (across all competitions)
W-W-W-W-W
Head-to-head
Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have faced each other six times, with Barcelona having the advantage of winning on four occasions. Dortmund have never won.
What the managers had to say
Niko Kovac, Dortmund:
Calling himself “an optimist but a realist”, Kovac said his side wanted to save face in the second leg against Barcelona on Tuesday.
