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Borussia Dortmund stand in between Barcelona’s quest to win a treble this season. Barcelona, having won the Spanish Super Cup, are still competing in three competitions and are one of the favorites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
The Catalan Giants face a tricky tie as they host Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the quarter-final of the competition on Wednesday night.
Borussia Dortmund go into the match as underdogs, but have proven to be a worthy opponent after seeing off Sporting Lisbon and Lille in the playoff and second round phase of the competition.
Barcelona arguably has the best attacking trio this season: Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha, who have a combined 28-goal contribution in the Champions League.
However, Black Yellows in games leading up to this tie, kept two clean sheets and are unbeaten in four of their last six away matches in the competition.
This post examines why Borussia Dortmund are no pushovers and can upset Barcelona on Wednesday.
1. Serhou Guirassy
The Guinean striker is capable of breaching Barcelona’s defense, given how prolific the 29-year-old striker is in front of goal. Barcelona have conceded 14 goals in the Champions League so far, and their defense is likely to struggle with Guirassy’s presence in and around the final third. Only Barcelona’s Raphinha has more goals than Serhou Guirassy. The 29-year-old has 10 goals in 12 matches for Borussia Dortmund this season and will look to continue his form against Hansi Flick’s men. Karim Adeyemi and young English forward Jamie Gittens also pose threats to Barcelona’s defense, and with Inigo Martinez a yellow card away from suspension, the duo run down the final third to create havoc for Barcelona’s defense.
2. Borussia Dortmund’s Resilience
The German side have a knack for fighting back as they showed in the previous match against Barcelona in December, where they equalized twice against Hansi Flick’s men before Ferran Torres grabbed a late winner for Barcelona at the Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund’s relentless waves of attack could see Barcelona struggle to close out the game or avoid an upset at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís
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3. Counter-Attacking Threat
Borussia Dortmund will capitalise on loose balls and spaces left behind in Hansi Flick’s preferred high-press set-up. The likes of Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, and Jamie Gittens are very quick in transition and can disrupt Barcelona’s passing patterns when they counter-press.
