A meeting on familiar ground for Paris Saint-Germain. The last French representative in the Champions League, the capital club punched its ticket to the semi-finals of the most prestigious European competition by defeating FC Barcelona in both confrontations. With his back against the wall after his defeat at the Parc des Princes, the reigning French champion found sufficient resources to reverse the trend at Montjuïc to keep the Blaugrana team out of the way (6-4 on aggregate). For its return to the last four four years after its last appearance, PSG will face an old acquaintance: Borussia Dortmund.
Edin Terzic’s warning to PSG
On an unfavorable waiver following its defeat in the first leg at Civitas Metropolitano, the German club showed its fangs to snatch its qualification by defeating Atlético de Madrid during the return leg in a boiling Signal Iduna Park (5-4 at cumulative score). After two clashes in the group phase which resulted in a victory for Ile-de-France at the Parc des Princes (2-0) followed by a draw on German soil (1-1), Parisians and Marsupiaux will battle it out at the end of April with the line of is aiming for a ticket to the grand final which will take place at Wembley on June 1st. Proud of his troops after the match against the Colchoneros, Edin Terzic already set the tone for the reception of the Parisians.
“I am extremely happy, extremely happy and proud of the team and the club. The atmosphere was exceptional this evening. If we look at both matches, I think we deserve to qualify for the semi-finals. PSG? We managed to stay ahead of them in the group and qualified first in the group for the round of 16. I think we are an even more stable and better team than in September or November. The first leg there didn’t please us at all, we were far from what we wanted to do. But it was still a close match. The second match here was completely different. It was also a close match but we were closer than PSG to victory.informed the German-Croatian technician to the press.
Dortmund have made a clean slate of the past
If the 41-year-old technician wanted to send a strong message to the French club through his statements, it is because he himself is aware that his team has strong enough shoulders to reach its first C1 final since 2013. But until now, some observers across the Rhine were not giving much of their skin in view of the stormy context which animated the residents of Signal Iduna Park in the fall of 2023. Having just recovered from a German championship title which had slipped through the fingers on the gong during the previous year, Dortmund had a checkered start to the season marked by scathing setbacks, including a slap against Bayern Munich (4-0). From then on, the crisis was rearing its head in the Ruhr and the yellow and black ship was sailing in troubled waters with on board a captain named Edin Terzic who was increasingly in the hot seat.
Criticized by their fans, Edin Terzic and his men nevertheless showed character to get out of this period of trouble. Thus, the winter break came at just the right time for Mats Hummels’ partners who were gradually finding relief in their hearts. Undefeated between January 13 and February 25 in the league, Dortmund considerably reduced the gap with the leading car, at least with VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich as Bayer Leverkusen seemed unattainable given the pace displayed by Xabi’s protégés Alonso. The fact remains that the BvB only recorded two defeats in the league in the second part of the season (against Hoffenheim on February 25 then against Stuttgart on April 6). Qualifying in passing for the quarter-finals of C1 to the detriment of PSV Eindhoven (1-1, 2-0), the Ruhr club has meanwhile taken its revenge on Bayern Munich (2-0), at the end of March .
The BVB has resources!
If it has managed to improve its results over the weeks, Borussia Dortmund will be able to rely on its individualities to thwart the Parisian plans. Despite being 35 years old, Mats Hummels partly symbolizes the resilience of his team. Able to shine during major events, the German international has once again become a pillar of the yellow and black defense. Proof of this was during the Klassiker against Bayern Munich where the native of Bergish Gladbach literally disgusted the Bavarian attackers with his sense of positioning to compensate for his speed deficit as well as his aggressiveness. The leadership qualities of the former Munich player will constitute a major asset for the Marsupials against the Parisian armada. Still in the defensive sector, the BvB can also count on its beautiful promise named Ian Maatsenarrived on tiptoe this winter from Chelsea and capable of making big differences in his right lane.
If Julian Brandt remains a sure value in midfield since the start of the season, as evidenced by his personal statistics (9 goals and 13 assists in all competitions), his relationship with Marcel Sabitzer works wonderfully. Author of an XXL performance against the Colchoneros like his goal and his two assists, the Austrian demonstrated his importance within the yellow and black collective through his quality of passing and his ability to insert himself between the lines to destabilize opposing defenses. Criticized for its poor performance in recent weeks, Niklas Fullkrug returned to the net at the right time (scorer of the 3rd goal against Atlético de Madrid after 9 games without scoring). Although his opponent in the semi-final is of little importance, the Marsupials’ top scorer this season (13 goals) intends to leave his mark on this double confrontation to silence his detractors.
A last factor, and not the least, must be taken into account for the Luis Enrique gang. Since the start of the season, Borussia Dortmund remains on nine games without defeat at Signal Iduna Park in C1. Intractable at home, we have to return to November 3, 2021 against Ajax Amsterdam (1-3) to see the latest poor performance of Edin Teric’s protégés in their bases. All of the elements cited mean that Parisians will have to be extra vigilant if they hope to gain the upper hand over their German counterpart. Closer to the news from the capital club, Bernard Lama issued a warning to Kylian Mbappé’s partners: “PSG already in the final? No not at all. Thinking that we will succeed because an opponent is theoretically weaker is behavior that has often been detrimental to French sport. The Champions League is the high level, and Dortmund will be extremely difficult to beat.” In other words, caution is required for PSG.
