Barcelona, Spain — La Liga leaders Barcelona dey host Borussia Dortmund for di first leg of UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday night for di Olympic Stadium. Dis match go showcase two of di top football clubs in Europe as dem battle for a spot in di semis.
Dis go be di first time wey dis teams dey meet for di knockout stage of di competition. Barcelona, wey dey seek dem first Champions League win since 2015, don dey perform well, remaining unbeaten dis year. Dortmund, wey been reach di final last season, still dey aim for passage to di last four for di second year in a row.
Barcelona don face Dortmund five times before dis encounter, winning three and drawing two of dem. Dem also defeated di German side 3-2 away in Dortmund during di group stage on December 11, 2024, in a match wey no lack excitement. It be far from straight win, as Barcelona twice needed Ferran Torres to rescue dem with an 85th-minute goal after Serhou Guirassy equalized for Dortmund twice.
For dis quarterfinal opener, Barcelona go miss di key midfielder Dani Olmo due to injury but dey welcome back defender Pau Cubarsi after a suspension. Kop star Robert Lewandowski, wey be former Dortmund player, go lead di Catalan attack alongside Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
Dortmund no go feature midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and defender Nico Schlotterbeck because of injuries. Plus, Pascal Gross dey out due to suspension after his second yellow card in di previous Champions League game. Serhou Guirassy, wey dey chase goal-scoring records, go look to trouble Barcelona’s defense again.
Di probable line-up for Barcelona go fit be: Wojciech Szczęsny; Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsi, Iñigo Martínez, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski. While Dortmund go feature: Gregor Kobel; Julian Ryerson, Emre Can, Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini; Felix Nmecha, Carney Chukwuemeka; Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Maximilian Beier; Serhou Guirassy.
Barcelona dey on top of La Liga, leading by four points and dey set for a crucial match against relegation-threatened Leganes. Dortmund, for di other hand, dey struggle for di Champions League spot in di Bundesliga, sitting eighth and needing a big comeback against Barcelona to stay in di race.
Hans Flick, Barcelona coach, praised his players for di solid performance, emphasizing di need to maintain focus for di match ahead. “We know say Dortmund are a stable and attacking team, but we dey strong both home and away. Our goal na to win,” he talk.
Niko Kovac, di Dortmund manager, acknowledged di challenge ahead. “We respect Barcelona. We sabi dem quality but we also get wat it takes to exploit any weaknesses,” he said.
As di match kickoff on Wednesday, all eyes go dey on di pitch as Barcelona hopes to take advantage of their home ground, while Dortmund go try recover from di past loss and make a comeback for di return leg.
