Barcelona will host last year’s Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their quarter-final clash this Wednesday evening.
Sitting pretty at the top of La Liga with the Copa del Rey final at hand by the end of April, La Blaugrana are still on course for the treble this season. Barcelona greatest challenges will come in Europe, however, starting with Borussia Dortmund in two legs and continuing with either Bayern Munich or Inter if they reach the last eight.
Barca will be eager to have an aggregate buffer ahead of the second leg at the raucous Signal Iduna Park next week and will be strong favorites to secure that cushion against the German side.
Dortmund improved since Niko Kovac replaced Nuri Sahin in the dugout but performances and results have still been unpredictable. Bundesliga defeats to Bochum and Augsburg over the past six weeks have epitomized their struggles across the season.
Here is Mainwap’s guide to the meeting.
Barcelona v Borussia Dortmund Match Details
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys
- Date: Wednesday 9th April
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Espen Eskas (NOR)
- VAR: Dennis Johan Higler (NOR)
Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund h2h records (last five games)
Barcelona: 3 wins
Borussia Dortmund: 0 wins
Draws: 2
Barca team news
The Spanish side welcomed Andreas Christensen back into the matchday squad for the first time since late January during the weekend draw with Real Betis, but Hansi Flick is still without long-term absentees Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado.
Dani Olmo is a significant absentee having suffered a muscle injury at the end of March and will be replaced by Gavi in the starting lineup, the youngster scoring against Betis at the weekend.
B. Dortmund team news
Nico Schlotterbeck has recently added his name to the Dortmund injury list after it was confirmed he would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Fellow defenders Niklas Sule and Ramy Bensebaini are both doubts for today’s champions league game too.
Kovac also has conundrums in midfield with Pascal Gross suspended and Marcel Sabitzer in the treatment room. Cole Campbell is Dortmund’s only injury concern so far in all competitions.
Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund correct score prediction
Barca won Dortmund during the league phase encounter in December and will expect to be triumphant in this quarter-finals phase, too. The Catalans will want to boast at least a two-goal advantage ahead of the second leg.
Dortmund have defensive injuries, something Barca are likely to exploit on this evening. Their attacking muscle should fire them to a comfortable victory, although their visitors might still pose plenty of threat in the clash.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
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