Borussia Dortmund would be the most romantic winners of the four teams left in the Champions League, but the odds are stacked against them with first PSG and then Real Madrid or Bayern Munich standing in their way.
Edin Terzić looked in deep trouble when 2-0 down to Atletico Madrid in the away first leg of their last-16 tie, but Sebastien Haller’s late goal laid the platform for a spectacular home turnaround.
You would think Dortmund need to maximise home advantage in front of 80,000 fans draped in yellow and black, against a PSG team who are looking to win the Champions League for the first time.
Rather like Dortmund, PSG at one stage looked underdogs to reach this stage before Ronald Araujo’s red card changed the complexion of their tie against Barcelona. Kylian Mbappe did the rest against 10 men.
PSG reached the final in the Covid season of 2020, when they were managed by Thomas Tuchel and lost to Bayern. This year, there is the chance of a repeat but with Tuchel in the other dugout.
PSG are “built to win the Champions League”, according to Dortmund boss Terzic.
“The project in Paris began with the goal of winning the Champions League,” said Terzic.
“That’s been their main objective for a decade.
“Maybe we’re the team with less experience, but we may have the greatest hunger.
“When everyone digs in, not just those on the field and on the bench but everyone in the stadium, we’ve got a huge opportunity – and we need to take it.”
Jadon Sancho is expected to be involved for Dortmund, who have been dogged by inconsistency in the Bundesliga and will not qualify for next season’s Champions League unless they win the thing at Wembley on June 1.
Full team news on the way shortly.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
